Doing it for the Plot
One golden, unhinged decision
A colleague and I were going back and forth on field trip plans a few months ago, weighing the chaos of public transit against the comfort (and cost) of a private coach. We were at a standstill—blow the budget or sacrifice our sanity? That’s when a student, who’d clearly been eavesdropping, shrugged and said:
“Ahhh, let’s just take the bus. It’ll be chaos—but let’s do it for the plot.”
I fell in love with the phrase on the spot.
Do it for the plot.
It’s a perfect little mantra for making slightly unhinged, mildly dramatic, deeply memorable decisions.
So, in the midst of the February blues, I decided to take a leap (and convince my husband to do the same). Several weeks later, we welcomed Bodie, our golden retriever puppy, into our family.
We weren’t exactly ready—emotionally, or schedule-wise—but the idea of a fluffy golden blur trotting through our lives was a dream we’d (I’d) put off for far too long.
Our beautiful boy is an orange blur of joy. He’s winning over my lifelong cat person husband more and more every minute, and constantly peeing on things, but honestly? We needed the chaos.
I said yes for the plot, and now I get tackled by love (at 4:30am 😅) every morning.
Worth it.
Ok so tell me, have you done anything for the plot lately?
I'm obsessed with this phrase and am going to put it to use! It captures the idea of adding a bit of novelty and adventure to the everyday.
A happiness writer I admire, Gretchen Rubin (who doesn't describe herself as an animal person), talks about her decision to get a dog based on studies that people with dogs are happier. It ended up bringing so much delight to her family.
Congrats on the newest family member. He's a handsome one!
He looks like the bestest boy! Tackled by love - how lucky we are to be loved by dogs.