So, as I've been playing with "surprises," I've had a few awarenesses about myself. (If you're curious why I'm focusing on Surprises lately, read this post.)
First off, I feel I am easier to surprise because I am always looking for the magic in my life. I use that word - always - because I made a solid intention a couple years ago to see the magic of my life. That intention underlies all I do so if even if I'm not consciously looking, magic still reveals itself to me. In my opinion, "surprise" is magical and I delight in the smallest of magical things so, in turn, I am easily surprised.
Secondly, I have concocted a belief that for me to surprise others it requires that I do so through monetary means. For instance, yesterday I decided on a whim that I would purchase salad as lunch for my friend, Mary. She had given me money when I left, but at the register I opted to treat her. This was a surprise for her and fun for me to do. In this process, I actually got to witness the surprise. But it got me thinking, can I only surprise someone else by buying their surprise??? Or... do I HAVE to be witness to their surprise for me to understand that I've surprised someone??? When Kait told me that she was so happy and surprised by my agreement to play Monopoly all day long the other day, I didn't get it. She said she was surprised, but I didn't feel like I had done anything to warrant that experience. Interesting... apparently I have an expectation of how surprise looks and that there has to be certain qualities in existance for it to be a "true" surprise. Hmmmm...
Third, I love surprises! I didn't realize how much I loved them until I started this experiment. I knew that I enjoyed witnessing the magic in my life, but I didn't fully grasp how much I loved it. Yesterday, my father and his wife surprised me by showing up at Migun and seeing my new place of employment. They spent time in the chakra bowl room wherein I was able to educate them about chakras and energy and I got to play the bowls for them as I guided them through a Meditation! SO COOL! The neatest part of that experience was connecting with Dawna, his wife, in a way I've never connected before, being witness to her childlike curiosity and innocence and providing a safe space for her to retreat and experience the flow of her emotions. What a blessing!
Showing posts with label surprises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surprises. Show all posts
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
07/08/10 Surprises
Today was a most enjoyable day. As I've pondered today's events, I've discovered something. I find it easier to be surprised than it is to be the one who is surprising someone else. I think that is mostly because I have a definition of what it means to surprise someone and it generally takes a grand gesture. However, I'm thinking that if people were to share with me the ways in which I surprise them, I would receive feedback that I'm more surprising than I believe I am. Just like yesterday, when Kait told me I surprised her by agreeing to play Monopoly all day long. In light of that, I'm holding space and welcoming in feedback regarding the ways in which I surprise people. Interestingly enough... as I was writing that last sentence, I went to write "ways in which I surprise people" and it came out "ways in which I inspire people." Hmmmm... wondering about the cross!
I was surprised today by the sudden lightning and thunder storm that crashed through our neighborhood for all of three minutes, drenching the place and putting on a spectacular show. I was not so happily surprised by the rock that flew at a high velocity and hit my windshield, chipping/cracking it in two places. I was happily surprised, however, by the efficient and quick manner in which my insurance company handled the claim and got me set up for a mobile windshield repair for tomorrow!
I stayed inside for most of the day today, hanging with my Kait and didn't see many other people whom I could surprise. Oh! I surprised my Kait by finding the book for which she has been searching the last two days so she would have it when she went to meet the author tonight. She's never really been great at hunting for things. Usually she will enter the room, stand in the center of the room and say, "I can't find it," without ever actually looking anywhere. Somehow that is her definition of searching for something. She's always very surprised when I walk out of the room in which she "searched" with the very item she's been unable to find for some time. Funny stuff there.
I was surprised today by the sudden lightning and thunder storm that crashed through our neighborhood for all of three minutes, drenching the place and putting on a spectacular show. I was not so happily surprised by the rock that flew at a high velocity and hit my windshield, chipping/cracking it in two places. I was happily surprised, however, by the efficient and quick manner in which my insurance company handled the claim and got me set up for a mobile windshield repair for tomorrow!
I stayed inside for most of the day today, hanging with my Kait and didn't see many other people whom I could surprise. Oh! I surprised my Kait by finding the book for which she has been searching the last two days so she would have it when she went to meet the author tonight. She's never really been great at hunting for things. Usually she will enter the room, stand in the center of the room and say, "I can't find it," without ever actually looking anywhere. Somehow that is her definition of searching for something. She's always very surprised when I walk out of the room in which she "searched" with the very item she's been unable to find for some time. Funny stuff there.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
07-08-10 Surprises
My first surprise came very early this morning. I received a text from my brother - who doesn't text - that said, "Happy day happy happy happy beautiful day :)" Really and truly! What a wonderful way to start my day!
My second surprise was the opportunity to play Monopoly with my Kait for most of the day, teaching her strategy and planning skills for the game. She's catching on really good and said that the fact that I agreed to play FOUR times with her all day today, that was my surprise to her.
My third surprise was laughing with her until we were both crying. She gets hiccups really hard and, when she does, for some reason, it makes us both laugh really hard and then that makes her hiccups worse, which makes us laugh harder and round and round we go. Proof of our delirium is to follow in these cellphone video clips...
My second surprise was the opportunity to play Monopoly with my Kait for most of the day, teaching her strategy and planning skills for the game. She's catching on really good and said that the fact that I agreed to play FOUR times with her all day today, that was my surprise to her.
My third surprise was laughing with her until we were both crying. She gets hiccups really hard and, when she does, for some reason, it makes us both laugh really hard and then that makes her hiccups worse, which makes us laugh harder and round and round we go. Proof of our delirium is to follow in these cellphone video clips...
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
07/06/10 Surprises
This morning I awoke and felt excited for the day. What surprises would be in store?
After experiencing my FIRST surprise and feeling so jubilant about it, I shared with my daughter my intention for looking for the surprises and so she became enrolled in the adventure.
I was surprised by the fact that I went to campus to finish a project, purposefully parked in the PAYING parking lot because it was closest to the building wherein I needed to be, knowing full well that I would have to pay, even though I have a parking permit. A half hour later, when I came out and drove toward the gate, pulling out my wallet and getting the dollar bill ready, the gate went up. No one came out to receive my dollar. I actually stopped and waited for a few moments and Kait said, "Uh... Momma... the gate's up. I think that means you're supposed to go through."
"But, I didn't pay. No one took my money."
"Buuuuuuuut... the gate is up," she stated the obvious and nodded toward the gate. "You're supposed to go through."
SURPRISE!
My second surprise was how easeful everything went in the morning and it provided the way for me to attend a movie I wanted to see and spend some precious time with my daughter.
My third surprise was my experience in the movie, The Last Airbender. Very personal. Very moving. Very spiritual. Amazing.
My surprise to someone was to provide treats for my daughter at the movie without her asking. She is very aware of my financial situation so treats are usually a "no." When I asked her if she wanted something, she said, "Ah no, Momma. It's okay. I don't need them." When I told her it was my surprise to her, she lit up like a Christmas tree.
This surprise thing is SUPER fun stuff!
After experiencing my FIRST surprise and feeling so jubilant about it, I shared with my daughter my intention for looking for the surprises and so she became enrolled in the adventure.
I was surprised by the fact that I went to campus to finish a project, purposefully parked in the PAYING parking lot because it was closest to the building wherein I needed to be, knowing full well that I would have to pay, even though I have a parking permit. A half hour later, when I came out and drove toward the gate, pulling out my wallet and getting the dollar bill ready, the gate went up. No one came out to receive my dollar. I actually stopped and waited for a few moments and Kait said, "Uh... Momma... the gate's up. I think that means you're supposed to go through."
"But, I didn't pay. No one took my money."
"Buuuuuuuut... the gate is up," she stated the obvious and nodded toward the gate. "You're supposed to go through."
SURPRISE!
My second surprise was how easeful everything went in the morning and it provided the way for me to attend a movie I wanted to see and spend some precious time with my daughter.
My third surprise was my experience in the movie, The Last Airbender. Very personal. Very moving. Very spiritual. Amazing.
My surprise to someone was to provide treats for my daughter at the movie without her asking. She is very aware of my financial situation so treats are usually a "no." When I asked her if she wanted something, she said, "Ah no, Momma. It's okay. I don't need them." When I told her it was my surprise to her, she lit up like a Christmas tree.
This surprise thing is SUPER fun stuff!
Monday, July 05, 2010
FHS 1500-042
I'm in college. Have I mentioned that??? At times, I find myself wondering what I've done to myself. It has been a VERY intense experience and has opened up my creative gates wide! Intriguing...
In my FHS 1500 class - Human Development Life-Span - we just finised reading in our textbook, A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development (McGraw-Hill, 2008) about Intelligence. In this section, they discussed the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (yeah, I DARE you to say that name!) in 1996 regarding intelligence and creativity. He discovered that highly creative people regularly engage in challenges that absorb them. (Santrock, 2008, p. 309-310) What I really love is his conclusion that the first step toward a more creative life is to cultivate your own curiosity and interest and offered the following tips:
I LOVED this section of my reading and appreciate how much of my training is coming into play in three of my four classes! This one, especially, since we are talking about lifelong development of human beings.
Because I so loved the first three items on his list, I'm going to incorporate them into my routine and record them here. Now, given that I've inundated myself with college, I'm thinking my posting may not be a regular as I would hope it would be. However, perhaps we will experience a miracle!
So, for today, I surprised a friend with a text telling her I was thinking of her and was sending her love. She said it was a much needed message.
Today, I was surprised by the effortless way I went back into relating with my best friend after a long, long break apart. At her house, on her porch, it was as if no time had slipped away at all and we had been doing that all along. I was surprised by the wealth of emotions I felt in my interactions with her. I was also surprised by another friend whom I witnessed create a beautiful piece of art out of something I judged to be garbage.
In my FHS 1500 class - Human Development Life-Span - we just finised reading in our textbook, A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development (McGraw-Hill, 2008) about Intelligence. In this section, they discussed the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (yeah, I DARE you to say that name!) in 1996 regarding intelligence and creativity. He discovered that highly creative people regularly engage in challenges that absorb them. (Santrock, 2008, p. 309-310) What I really love is his conclusion that the first step toward a more creative life is to cultivate your own curiosity and interest and offered the following tips:
- Try to be surprised by something every day.
- Try to surprise at least one person every day.
- Write down each day what surprised you and how you surprised others.
- When something sparks your interest, follow it. (For all you ALCers, this would be following your impulse.)
- Wake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to. (For all you ALCers, this would be a good time to ask, "What wants to happen next?")
- Take charge of your schedule by deciding when YOUR creative time is. Are you more creative morning or night?
- Spend time in settings that stimulate your creativity.
I LOVED this section of my reading and appreciate how much of my training is coming into play in three of my four classes! This one, especially, since we are talking about lifelong development of human beings.
Because I so loved the first three items on his list, I'm going to incorporate them into my routine and record them here. Now, given that I've inundated myself with college, I'm thinking my posting may not be a regular as I would hope it would be. However, perhaps we will experience a miracle!
So, for today, I surprised a friend with a text telling her I was thinking of her and was sending her love. She said it was a much needed message.
Today, I was surprised by the effortless way I went back into relating with my best friend after a long, long break apart. At her house, on her porch, it was as if no time had slipped away at all and we had been doing that all along. I was surprised by the wealth of emotions I felt in my interactions with her. I was also surprised by another friend whom I witnessed create a beautiful piece of art out of something I judged to be garbage.
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