We've Stopped Saying Never
Why we're more open to changing our plans than we used to be.
by Lindsay Eldridge · Sat 1 Aug 2026
A friend asked me the other day if Ryan and I think we'll stay in Salida forever. Two years ago I would've answered without hesitation: "Oh, we're never leaving."
But this time, I said, "I don't think Ryan and I think that way anymore."
She asked what changed and the best answer I can come up with is that life has surprised me too many times. Or so many times. The right number of times!
When I was younger, I thought I could picture my future pretty clearly; I had ideas about where I'd live, what I'd do for work, and what life would probably look like ten years down the road.
Some of those things happened and most of them didn't. Almost every unexpected turn ended up bringing something I never would've found otherwise and now, I've stopped seeing uncertainty as something to solve.
This leaves room for opportunities I can't imagine yet, for people I haven't met, and for experiences that would never happen if I insisted on sticking to the plan I'd made years earlier.
Don't get me wrong. I still make plans! So many plans, too many plans (the right number of plans)! If you know me, you know how true this is.
I book flights months in advance. I organize retreats in countries all over the world. I like a good spreadsheet as much as the next person.
But I've stopped believing that I know exactly how the story is supposed to go, and there's something really freeing about that.
It means I can be fully invested in the life we're building today without needing to decide that it has to be the life we build forever.
Maybe we'll stay in Salida; I'd genuinely be happy if we did.
Or maybe we'll leave one day because another opportunity feels right for our family, and I'd be excited about that too!
I've learned that "forever" is a long time, and life has a funny way of introducing us to possibilities we didn't even know existed.
These days, I try not to say "never." Even Justin Bieber titled an entire documentary “Never Say Never”. Yes, if you’re thinking I put that in here for you, I did.
In summary, I've become really fond of being surprised. So, let’s see what happens next!
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