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Front Porch: Last-minute opportunities bring joy
It’s possibly the only reason I’ve survived raising four sons. Or perhaps it’s the reason they’ve survived.
Chore charts on white boards, assigned laundry days, weekly deadlines – these routines make the world go round. Well, my world anyway. Everyone knows what to expect and what’s expected from them.
But recent events, not previously inscribed on my color-coded monthly planner, have shown me that sometimes the unexpected can be fun – or at least educational.
Two weeks ago, my publisher asked me to attend the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association fall trade show in Portland. The request came less than a week before the event. “We’ll ship your books,” they said. “You just hang out with our sales rep and smile and sign copies.”
I scrambled to book a hotel room, schedule airline flights and cancel our weekend plans. There wasn’t even enough time for a to-do list.
Though I’d never been to a trade show, I had an inkling that one attended by librarians and owners of independent bookstores across the Northwest would be enjoyable. And it was.
I met authors, representatives from large and small publishing houses, and I got to introduce my book to owners of bookstores from Oregon to Idaho. I even had time to make my maiden visit to Ikea.
By Monday I was back at my desk, looking at my planner and wondering what I was thinking when I agreed to interview a group of dog walkers at Lincoln Park at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
It’s no secret that I’m not a morning person. If I have to be verbal before 8 a.m., there are consequences.
At 5:34 a.m., Wednesday, I was pillow-deep in dreams when my husband nudged me and said, “Don’t you leave for somewhere at 6?”
Nothing like a dose of panic to get your day started. I’d set my alarm alright, but I’d set it for the following week. I didn’t even know you could do that.
Do you know it’s dark at 6 a.m.? I didn’t.
The darkness combined with my navigational impairment made it difficult to reach my destination. I’d never been to Lincoln Park and my GPS was no help at all.
Thankfully, a series of phone calls led me to the park, where I met a lovely group of people and their adorable canine friends. Watching the sun come up at a treasured Spokane park proved to be a delightful surprise.
I’d planned to spend Thursday recovering and puttering around in my bathrobe, doing phone interviews. At 11 a.m., I got a call from a writer at the Wall Street Journal asking me to cover a speech at the Davenport Grand Hotel. Another freelancer had given him my name.
It seems John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, was in town to speak at the Spokane Metropolitan Area Business and Community Leaders’ Luncheon.
Now, there’s no way I was going to tell the WSJ that I was still in my bathrobe at 11 a.m.
“What time would I need to be there?” I asked.
“Twelve-thirty,” he replied. “And all I really need is your notes from the audience and media Q&A.”
I hesitated.
He sweetened the deal. “You don’t have to ask any questions during the Q &A.”
Less than two hours later I was introduced to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco as Cindy Hval from the Wall Street Journal.
That’s never happened before.
I didn’t ask any questions because I barely understood the questions asked by the folks from Bloomberg and Reuters. Truth be told, I’ve never read the Wall Street Journal and I fully expected to be bored out of mind during Williams’ speech.
I needn’t have worried. His talk was informative, surprisingly easy to follow and, for this noneconomist, extremely educational. I managed to file my notes to the WSJ by 5 p.m., though I’m still a little hazy about QE’s (quantitative easings).
While I much prefer my days to be ordered and scheduled, the adventure of the unplanned has some appeal.
From last-minute trips to Portland, to watching the sunrise with strangers, to stretching my writing craft in new ways, I’ve discovered there’s joy in the unexpected.
Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com. She is the author of “War Bonds: Love Stories From the Greatest Generation.” Her previous columns are available online at spokesman.com/ columnists. Follow her on Twitter at @CindyHval.