What Kate Turkington taught me about spontaneity

At nearly 92, Kate Turkington has just returned from Tunisia. She is off to Zambia next, and when Mongolia came up in our conversation, her response was immediate:

“I’d go! I may be a bit creaky, but I’ll go!”

That tells you quite a lot about Kate.

She is one of South Africa’s best-known broadcasters and travel writers, and she has spent a lifetime following her curiosity from one opportunity to the next. Her career was never carefully mapped out. As Kate puts it, she has “ricocheted from one thing to another” all her life.

Being in Kate’s presence can make the rest of us feel slightly boring, and perhaps a little envious too. She has such a zest for life. I left our Life Chapters, Money Choices conversation thinking, “I want a little more of what Kate has.”

More curiosity, more adventure and definitely more spontaneity.

I absolutely do say “yes” to life, often too much and sometimes to my own detriment. I’m sure many of us know what it feels like to say yes to another responsibility, another meeting, another request for help, when our diaries are already full.

But Kate reminded me of a different kind of “yes” – the kind of “yes” that’s not about obligation, but about aliveness.

A little more spontaneity

Kate has a wonderful philosophy:

“Take every opportunity. Make every opportunity.”

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan. You know how strongly I believe in planning. I make a vision board every year, I set my intentions, and I like knowing where I’m going.

But perhaps every vision board deserves one blank corner for what we cannot see yet: the invitation that comes out of nowhere, the conversation that shifts something, or the adventure that asks us to trust life a little more.

Kate reminded me that planning is not about controlling everything. It is about giving your life direction while still trusting that what is meant for you may arrive in ways you did not expect.

What could you leave room for?

We can become so responsible, so sensible, and so used to doing what we have always done that opportunities simply pass us by.

As we move through midlife, our worlds don’t have to become smaller.

A friend and I have started doing one new thing every month, and I love what it adds to my life. It gives me something to look forward to and reminds me how good it feels to step outside my normal routine.

I am not asking you to stop planning, but whether your plan still allows life to surprise you.

If you’d like to hear more of Kate’s story, you can listen to our Life Chapters, Money Choices conversation here.

What is your money making possible?

Our money serves us in many ways. We save for the future, pay the bills and prepare for the things we know are coming.

But a part of it should also help us do more of the things that make life feel full.

Kate understood this from a very young age. In this month’s Midlife Money Reflection, I share her money story and what it reminded me about using our money for the things we really want more of in our lives. You can read it here.

Always remember, when it comes to your money, be inspired, be brave, and be on purpose.