Some of you will get the title, but if not, here’s a hint!!
A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night covered in sweat with my heart racing; it lasted only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Needless to
say, it was not a pleasant surprise, especially not at 4 AM. I called my doctor the next day and made plans to see a cardiologist; so far everything is coming back normal, a good outcome.
For my 40th birthday, my brother Sanjay and my girlfriend at the time threw me a “surprise” party. It was a good surprise…kind of; I will admit, I knew about it beforehand. ? Despite it not being a true surprise, the party was amazing! I was surrounded by family and friends and had a great time.
Some surprises are good, and some are bad. Most people I know hate surprises, but the reality is that most of life is a surprise. While we can make plans, we also have to expect that sometimes things go awry, sometimes in a good way, but sometimes not.
I wonder if most people hate surprises because that means they must give up the driver’s seat. Most of us want to be in control, or at least feel like we are, and surprises take that away from us. As much as we may hate them, I will argue that most surprises are good, and ultimately they make us feel good.
I recently saw a story about a couple driving in California who suddenly came upon a herd of zebras– wild zebras in California! Naturally, they were surprised, good surprised… can you imagine the wonder of that sight? While I wouldn’t categorize my middle of the night scare as a good surprise, it caused me to do checkups that I would not have thought to do otherwise; that’s a good outcome of a bad surprise. I still tell some of the stories from my 40th birthday, another good surprise; if you want to hear some of them, reach out.
My advice is to take surprises as they come. If they are good, share them and if they are bad, learn from them. If this year has taught me anything so far, it is that I need to take the curveballs in stride and make the best of it.
“Expect the unexpected because your life is bound to be full of surprises.”– Bernard Grad
Have a surprising weekend.
V-