Appreciating the Unexpected

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Did you ever have the experience of going on a trip for one reason and finding that the joy of the trip was for an entirely different, unexpected reason?

I just got back from a week’s trip that I thought was going to accomplish three things: give condolence support to a sister-in-law, visit a professional meeting and catch-up on new elements in my field (dentistry), and keep my wife company on a long-delayed Memorial Service for a distant relative.

What I experienced was entirely different: an unexpected visit to a Major League Baseball Playoff game at the only remaining fully-covered stadium, a memorable dinner with friends from forty five years ago with an invite to visit them again at their elegant Chicago home, and a chance to learn about a fascinating relative I had never met- an Architect of world reputation who gave life-long influence to dozens of his students.

It strikes me that too often we limit our enjoyment by anticipation. Whether it is a book, a movie, a concert, a new acquaintance, or travel, we could probably enhance the experience by remaining open to the unexpected.

Any of you have a similar experience?

Next time I’ll share with you my reception of the first edit on my book…