Surprises
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“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”
— Thomas Merton
There is no escaping it. Today is going to be a busy and challenging day. My usual schedule will vanish the moment I start my car and pull away from the curb. The next three weeks will be full of changes and surprises as I choose to turn my time over first to my son and his family and then to my parents as spending time with both the older and younger generations will make my life less predictable than usual. I suppose I could plan for stress-filled days as I struggle to adjust to the new schedules and strive to complete my usual tasks in two hours rather than eight. I could make maps and lists and flow charts to organize each minute and assure that nothing goes undone. Actually, I am quite good at these sorts of things; and I have no doubt whatsoever that with a little paper and ink and a lot of high expectations, I could take a path that leaves me used up and exhausted at the end of twenty-one days.
I love spending time with my little granddaughters. I will cherish the rare opportunity to spend time with my elderly parents. As I weigh the opportunity vs. the stress, I realize that I have a choice to make. I will choose to be happy during these days that will be filled with the people I love. Fortunately, I have made it my practice for the last couple of years to be open to the surprises that come my way and greet them openly. I have made the decision not to pass surprises through the filter of “should” that makes them seem like intrusions that interfere with the important plans I have made for my day. Short of keeping the family alive, fed, and nurtured, there are few things in my life that can’t be deferred when changes come my way.
I am off to a busy and challenging day; but that’s the way I like my days. Through practicing the art of being open to change, I have learned that I often love surprises. I will choose to balance the weight of my routine against the momentum of the changes that will enter my space. I will choose to use the happiness I carry with me to paint change with the delightful colors of surprise. What is important in the end is that we live our lives fully. When we no longer change, we no longer live. I will choose to recognize the happy tasks that lie ahead and to live these twenty-one days as though they are a gift, not a burden. Who knows what wonderful things lie ahead!