Life is full of surprises. Some are good, (wonderful, in fact) and some are bad (even tragic). If you can believe it, I like to focus on the light and fluffy surprises, the ones that delight and inspire. I find my own personal slice of heaven in the tulips, lilies and the myriad of other plant life growing surprisingly quickly in my yard.
Finding just the right person, the perfect pet, the most fragrant fruit or the exactly-matching lamp from a garage sale, is often enough to make us see ourselves as part of a finer tapestry. We say, 'it must have been destined.'
However, serendipity is not to be confused with dumb luck. If we follow our hearts, the very thing we desire magnetizes to us. We choose, whether consciously or not, to surprise ourselves with our own abilities. We 'find' people with whom we resonate.
That's what happened with my favourite surprise: the embodiment of my ideal mate, my hugest score ever - my husband. I always say, I never liked surprises before Kelt came along.
My experience with surprises was that people either sprung something on me that I didn't really want (or need, or ask for) or they told me that they had a surprise for me but I had to WAIT to find out what it was. The latter, for me, is still most infuriating and is the main reason I 'hated' surprises.
Eight years ago, I had a very specific list of qualities I needed in a mate. The astronomically rare chances of finding someone who met each criterion was not a function of luck, but a result of following my heart. I held out hope for fulfilling that list and I got it to the tee.
With new love, or new perspective, life is optimistic and hopeful, offering endless possibilities and inspiring us to dream bigger. Beautiful surprises can propel us quite far along on our journeys.
Some surprises teach us lessons and not all of them are fluffy or delightful. Even surprises that provide instant bliss always have a counter-balance.
Having the most appropriate partner comes with certain karmic challenges. I believe we are all supposed to grow as humans, to continue the evolution of the human species, which should become increasingly more self-actualized. If we stay stuck in our comfort zones, we will not grow properly, so perhaps it's a function of natural selection, then, for our most important relationships to also be our most challenging ones.
Kelt and I are together because we both want to grow spiritually, not stopping until we have become super-conductors of divine light. It's a huge blessing, then, that our most stubborn personal traits are magnified in each other. Leaders need challenging relationships. We'll leave the easy lives to those who just want to blend into the woodwork.
Even those who don't consider themselves leaders are still probably impacting others more than they realize. Those are the kinds of people who are surprised to even be thanked for all their hard work. Real super heroes are just living out the love and stewardship they were taught by their super hero parents and grandparents. It's no surprise that humility is the most common trait of the greatest people in history.
Throwing a loved one a surprise party usually makes them feel honoured, well-loved and important. There are always exceptions, such as in the case of a person's mood not matching that of a party in which their old age is being celebrated.
I personally know a family whose 100 year-old great-great uncle had a heart attack and died, right after they yelled, 'surprise!' It's not funny within its own context, but when I heard the story as a teenager, I laughed nervously about the cosmic irony. At least he died knowing his family loved him enough to orchestrate a surprise party and focus their love on him. Actually, I can't think of a better way to go. But hopefully, if it's my destiny, by then I'll be a centenarian myself!
Life's surprises keep us on our toes and make life interesting. Maybe they're not always heart-stopping, but everyday surprise can be absolutely life-changing and destined indeed!
