Life is unpredictable. One minute we are sipping wine overlooking beautiful grounds, and the next we wait on edge in the family lounge of an emergency room. We are still wearing the same clothes, and a mellow memory of Cabernet lingers on our lips even as our throats are dry from the unexpected journey landing us here, all in a matter of hours.
Humanity’s shared fate is that we can rely on the unpredictability of life.
But how do we make sense of repercussions, the aftermaths? Unlike politics, we cannot protest. Unlike desires, we cannot wish them away. More like toddlers, we must accept the spilled milk. Yes, we can throw a tantrum, but we stand in an empty room. We are where we are. Unexpected change can come from illness, sudden career transitions, unmet expectations or even from missing a flight.
Our gut reaction is to assume that unexpected outcomes are bad but what if we can look beyond the surface?
For most of us, changing our habits and routine is hard to do. Sudden change brings to the forefront that which we never considered or planned for but challenges us to rise to the occasion. Often, it leaves little room for excuses or complaints. Instead, our focus demands attention on re-prioritizing the list of what’s important now.
Unpredictability blows away the building and gives us a fresh, clean foundation from which to build anew. With standard expectations shed, it allows us to re-write our own rules, ad hoc, scrawling them by hand if needed. It re-ignites a sense of purpose even when we didn’t realize we needed one or were hungry for one. It questions that which we took for granted yesterday or just hours before. It awakens us to our loved ones, shining our whole life with a spotlight of gratitude.
It can force us to learn new skills, and test old ones. It can diminish old scars and obliterate the petty squabbles that we once obsessed over. Single-handedly, it challenges our values allowing us to ruminate on the word “success” differently. It tosses out the trash but leaves a whole heap of straw that we could turn into gold.
How?
It might take strength and temerity as well as passion and desire. But if we can surrender to our fate, unpredictability can lead us to find our sense of direction for a path that is unclear, unplanned, or uncharted. That is the single greatest gift that unpredictability gives us. It gives us a view into ourselves from an angle we have never seen before. It gives us a chance to discover ourselves, again.
In my own life, when life has led to unexpected circumstances, I may have kicked, screamed, and even cried, but in the end, it made me stronger, wiser, and more-something…more courageous, more compassionate, more loving, but always more aware. It made me treasure stability and each moment when my world was known. I was able to see my world with different eyes, illuminating qualities that I never knew I possessed. It offered growth on a silver platter.
So, the real question is… should I just ask life for more curveballs? Not sure I’m that bold yet… but I do a better job hitting the ones that are…
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