It’s been years since we had real snow, and even then it was barely a couple of inches. So every time I hear that we’re going to have snow, I don’t even get my hopes up. Last Thursday night I went to bed pretty convinced that I would wake up disappointed. The next morning when I woke up (or rather was woken up by screaming children), I realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong. The thing is, this is a bit of a trend lately. Around the same time, a vacation rental that we’ve been going to for years suddenly got booked literally at the same time we were attempting to book it. Dejected, I started looking for alternatives but none of them seemed to quite compare. As a last ditch effort I reached out to the owner, more so out of frustration. To my surprise, they generously convinced the other person to rebook for another date, because we are their “VIP customers”. In both instances I was glad I was wrong. Maybe I should get my hopes up more often…

I once read a quote, really a question: would you rather be right or surprised? My answer used to be, right of course! And, before you @ me, of course it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. But usually, almost always, it is. What happens when we’re open to being surprised? The morning I woke up and saw all that snow outside, I felt like a kid again. I immediately put on clothes and went outside to toss snowballs and run around with the kids. I simply wanted to revel in the wonder that was that moment. Of course, not all surprises are good. But we can learn a lot about ourselves from how we handle uncertainty, even the unpleasant kinds. I find that my most heart warming, compassionate moments come when I’m dealt a surprising unexpected circumstance. Instead of falling a part, somehow I summon the grace, openness, or flexibility to move through it.

The other night my teenage daughter came to us with a confession and a concern. As we listened to her tearfully share, I was overcome with a number of different emotions. I was proud of her sense of ownership, glad that we have the type of relationship where she can be honest with us, and sad at the circumstance. Not once though did I care about being right, I’m just glad we could be there with her in that moment. I’m on my own journey towards being a more graceful, open, and flexible person, and a part of that process is learning to embrace surprises. I have a candle that says, everything is figureoutable. The truth is, not everything has an easy explanation, and sometimes we just don’t know. For those who struggle with not knowing (and I suspect that’s all of us at some point), at least we have the beauty of surprising moments to remind us that it’s ok. I’m looking forward to what I’m surprised by next.

SDW3