Being Suprised

When was the last time that you were truly surprised? I mean to the point where you had no idea what was going to happen, not even an inkling.

For me, it was during a run a few weeks ago. Okay, maybe I should expand upon the definition and say that the run was not a standard jog around the park, it was a half marathon and more importantly the first half marathon that I had run for a long time.

Years had passed since the last time I was able to take on such an endeavour and as such I was nervous. It was going to be the first run with a friend for a long time, the same friend that I have always run with but a friend nonetheless.

We had run a 10k and two half marathons before but that was before we had gotten old. Me, married and him a father, so there was a little nervousness on both sides as to whether or not we could maintain the pace. That was more on my side but I know he was a little nervous too.

As we got to the starting line all my butterflies seemed to land at once, knowing what I was feeling deep down, that I did not want to let him down. They knew exactly when to kick in but before I found myself falling too far down this rabbit hole, he turned to me and asked a question…

‘Will you be my best man’?

It caught me completely off guard. Not in the sense that I was like, seriously, we aren’t that close but I was not expecting to be asked. He had been one of the best men at my wedding but I did not assume that he would choose me as that would have been arrogant and I definitely could not have predicted that I would be asked just before a run.

It was a lovely piece of news and completely settled any nerves that I had as I was simply overtaken by the news. Overwhelmed with happiness I set out planning ideas for his stag do and considering what I would say at the speech. All of this on top of the thought that there was no way I would drop out and be the best man that lets his friend down.

It was surprising and amazing at the same time. Something that helped me smile throughout the day. From the race and into the evening. It was completely unexpected and threw me off track but in a really good way as things like that don’t happen the older you get. You end up stuck in a routine and the older you get, the harder it is to break free.

Life is amazing and it is an amazingly precious gift, yet sometimes we can get overwhelmed with everything. The easiest way to deal with this is to create routines and procedures that help us to manage what is in front of us. For this reason, when we get news such as that which I received, it’s great as it is truly surprising and something that brings a smile.

• Once I received this news it got me thinking as to how often are you truly surprised in life?
• How often do you get a surprise like this?

I mean your partner can surprise you with a small gift or gesture that makes you smile but realistically, life is made of small moments such as these that define who you are and what your path will look like. Everything else is made up of routine and attempting to make sense of everything that surrounds you.

I enjoy my life. I have an amazing wife, supportive friends and a challenging job. It is something that keeps me thinking each and every day, with plenty of avenues to grow into but the trouble is when you get older you accumulate debts and bills that simply need to be paid. You are unable to surprise others with huge gestures and so being made best man is a huge surprise that resonates through many other parts of my life.

For me and my wife, much of our life together is spent apart at work and so the time we do have together means a lot more. It also becomes less surprising as the years go on and the same can be said for friendships, as the core foundation of any relationship is trust and a key part of that is stability. Something that is the opposite of spontaneity.

Now throughout all of this, you may be considering that surprise is something that I am missing, yet that is not true. I love my life and the stability it provides. The point I am making is that the little considerations mean so much more as they take you out of your routine and remind you of what you appreciate, ensuring that you never take things for granted.

You do of course end up being taken in at times and feel sorry for yourself which results in you taking people for granted. This is inevitable but the small gestures that take you out of your day and offer surprise shake you awake and help you to appreciate the stable even more.

We all love adventure and change but if all we ever had was adventure then we would crave stability or at least I know I would. We all crave for a house to call our own after all and that is a major driving force in our lives. My wife and I would love to be in a position to be able to buy a house because it would provide us with a place to raise our children and is that wrong? No.

Stability is how we live day by day. It is the comfort blanket that is wrapped in surprise, both of which should be appreciated in their own right as everything has its place.