I prefer spontaneity to routine, but both have their merits. While routine allows the chance to focus on the present, spontaneity adds an unexpected energizing spark to the day. Plans may have to be shelved for a while, but returning to those plans after a spontaneous break seems very beneficial. Today I said to the two sisters with whom I live, “Let’s pack some fruit, cheese and crackers and go to the “lake.” (Well, it’s not really a lake, but we call it that.) Within a few minutes we had a picnic packed and headed for Lake Lial, the property in Whitehouse, Ohio, that serves as a retreat center, school, and home for 40 sisters. It was an unusually warm, beautiful day for October. Who wouldn’t want to be outside? We loved the colorful trees at their peak of brilliance, the lapping of the lake, the crunch of leaves. Yet I think we loved the spontaneity more.