What would happen if you had absolutely no plans for the day, but left the house anyway, determined to experience something new? The worst thing that could happen would be if something truly awful came about, the next worst thing would be if nothing at all happened and you simply drifed about, bored and listless. A certain amount of that is going to happen no matter what, but may quickly be overshadowed by some wonderful, surprisiing, totally unexpected events.

One thing I can absolutely predict is that nothing will happen if you don’t interact with other people. Scenery won’t reach out and grab you. You’ll have the make the effort to communicate with others.

When I was in my twenties, I used to go to Mexico a lot, because it was close and cheap. Back then I didn’t speak much Spanish, but I didn’t let that stop me from getting myself into some pretty surprising places and situations. I often had very little money, no credit or bank card, and still I managed to spend weeks drifting about.

Now I find that I’ve sort of entered into a second childhood, where I have no one to report to at the end of the day but myself. A day well-lived is one in which I was often surprised, sometimes delightfully, and I haven’t hurt anyone. That’s most of my days now.