Get Your Surprises ON!

Wake up!  SURPRISE! We have no running water at this cabin! :) 
I have come to discover in my short life that although I do like to have some things planned (like buying airline tickets early enough to get a decent price), I really like a full tank of gas, some water bottles, some easy to carry snacks, and a general idea of a destination with lots of options for stopping when the feeling strikes.  That's a travel metaphor, but it's good for all aspects of life:  set a general intention.. and that can be VERY general, like 'Have Fun!' or 'Serve' or 'Love'  or 'Hug' or 'Be Present'  and then go from there... where does the conversation take you, where does service lead?  Who knows!  But it always ends up sparkling and refreshing when you have no expectations - good or bad... FEEL your way! :)

Ok.. and it's articulated another way here... a great tidbit on SURPRISE!

The Element of Surprise

Posted: March 22, 2013 @ 1:56 PM | By: Ian Lawton
Categories:
Meditation, Mindfulness & Spirituality
Aristotle said, “The secret to humor is surprise.” I would go even further than Aristotle. The secret to living fully and freely is surprise. Not knowing is the most exhilarating, sometimes frightening but always liberating, open ended mindset of all. Vera Nazarian describes it like this,
“Would you like to know your future? If your answer is yes, think again. Not knowing is the greatest life motivator. So enjoy, endure, survive each moment as it comes to you in its proper sequence — a surprise.”
Surprise is more important than belief. Belief is a period at the end of an experience, surprise is a question mark, an exclamation mark or maybe a comma, giving you time to pause and ponder the possibilities.
Surprise is the spontaneous friend, always suggesting adventure out of the blue. Belief is the sensible, predictable friend. We need both but unfortunately in our tightly controlled lives, sensible usually trumps spontaneity.
A belief is like a carefully labeled filling system. Something happens, and you immediately file it under “I’ve seen this before, I know what this is, this means...” Something else happens and you reach for the file called, “I told me so.”
I’d like to see more surprise, and less set in stone beliefs. Unless, of course, you create a belief that every moment is a surprise. That’s a belief with potential.
It’s no accident that most spiritual traditions have some form of parable, or surprising stories and various tricksters to jolt us out of a habitual mindset and it all rests on the element of surprise. Surprise is THE most spiritual quality that leads to all sorts of awakening.

I want to be that spontaneous friend!  :)  I have some extra turkey for dinner... want to come over??? :)  YES!

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