Showing posts with label surprises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surprises. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Listening to your own advice

Sometimes seems next to impossible, yet last night I was able to hear my own words and follow through. As I was sitting in my kitchen, enjoying a lovely meal of grilled shrimp and salad I thought, hmm, I wonder if I could get a ticket out to Cornwall this week for a few days. I started searching and my heart started to sink a little thinking, wow, how will I ever find a good last minute deal on a B&B or hotel AND a good deal on a train ticket? Well, to my wonderful surprise I did and within 30 minutes booked myself a ticket out to Looe, Cornwall for the week.

I have never been and this will be my first solo trip in a very very long time. I am quite thrilled and excited because I woke up this morning thinking, how great that only 24 hours ago I had no idea I'd be on my way to Paddington to catch a train for a new adventure!

So I have let life surprise me and will definitely continue to do so as I journey along the coast and discover a new part of this beautiful country.

There is so much excitement in the unknown. I know many of us, myself included, can feel the anxiety and fear first, of not knowing what lies ahead, but when that niggly feeling starts to get inside my gut I just focus on all the 'moments before' as I like to call them...essentially think back to the moment before you met someone new, or got the call for the interview for your new job or before you decided to take that long awaited trip to wherever...the moment before any of that happened you had no idea what was in store and so isn't a lot more fun to think that at any moment, it could be your 'moment before'? I will definitely choose that over fear and anxiety everyday (or at least do my hardest to make it so!)!

Off to my train now! Happy journeying

Monday, August 16, 2010

The best laid plans

 'We should not ask our young people what they plan for their future but instead tell them to plan to be surprised!' - Steve Carell (Dan in Real Life).

What a fantastic thought! Plan to be surprised. I try more and more these days to leave space to be surprised and allow the world to catch me off guard in the most wonderful ways. Sometimes it is as simple as sitting somewhere new in my home and enjoying a new view while enjoying my morning tea or waking up to a cloudy cool grey sky and seeing the blue peak out just enough to give hope that the sun will come out in full force soon (which it has now). Or even taking yourself by surprise when trying to put yourself back out into the world, meet new people and see what all that personal work does when you meet someone new. Who do you want to be now? Who are you today and who are you becoming?

I think the most exciting part of it all is knowing that you get to choose who you want to be at every moment of every day and continually be fluid with life. Letting in the surprises and flowing with wherever they may take you. Don't think, just have fun and roll with it. I definitely did a lot of that this weekend while celebrating the 30th birthday of a good friend. We played games in the park, run by a Games Mistress and it was one of the best afternoons I have had in ages. All adults, no children, and games just for adults to remind you what play is about and how great it can be to be ridiculous and not care that the British Military Fitness men across the way are wondering if you're giving them a run for their money or seeing the glee in a little boy's face as he watches 8 adults being ridiculous and giggling like crazy.

It was spontaneous, ridiculous, fun and filled with laughter. As celebrations should be. Thankfully the fun did not end there and we continued on the party at my friend's place, complete with balloons, beach balls and a giant sun pinata that was quite a hit after much merry making and drinking. The best part of it all was that not a single person knew what the day had in store for us or the rest of the evening for that matter.

So, please, go out and let life surprise you. You never know what (or who) might be around the next corner.

Dedicated to all those who still play no matter what their age!!