Day 2 - January 2, 2010

You never know when something begins where it's going to take you. - A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 by Joan W. Blos

Today I will welcome surprises.

Not knowing what will happen, based on an event or just in general, is one of the magical things about life. If we started knowing where we would end up, the adventure and fun of life would be absent. If I started this year knowing where I would be on December 31st, 2010, where would the surprises be? I would know everything that was going to happen, and nothing would excite me. Not knowing is not such a bad thing. The book says, if you did know, "It would be like the most boring story you ever read."

I don't know how well I welcomed surprises today. I feel like there weren't any. Although, part of not knowing could include not knowing that something is a surprise.

Just now, while taking a break from typing to talk to a friend, I got a surprise that I welcomed! My friend Rebecca is getting married, and I am her maid of honor. She asked if I had gotten her email, so I checked. There was an email from WeddingChannel.com with the subject "dress." Ready to welcome the surprise, I opened it, and it had the picture of my dress! What a lovely surprise, especially since I love it! When you watch movies about bridesmaids, etc., such as 27 Dresses, it makes it seems like bridesmaid/maid of honor dresses suck. I've only worn one, and this will be my second, but I've loved them both. Maybe I'm lucky. Or maybe I welcome surprise! :)

I was watching Ugly Betty with my mom and sister today. In one episode, Hilda's family invited this guy over without her knowing, so that they could be set up together. She said, "I hate surprises!" But I guess you shouldn't hate surprises. There are surprises that you might not immediately welcome, but maybe it's good to have surprises. I think surprises can be great. I don't know if I'd welcome a surprise like, hey Katie, you're pregnant. But I'd guess that there would be some reason or some life lesson with that surprise. I just wouldn't know it at the time.

Today's "I Will" is probably about being optimistic about ALL surprises, whether they seem good or bad at the start. So I'll try to be optimistic about them. I may not always even know when they're happening, but I will try.

Today at Walmart, there was a girl about 16 or 17 years old with her mom and little brother. She was texting and looking bored, as teenagers in Walmart are wont to do, and her little brother (who was probably about 8) was trying to play with her. She yelled at him to "Stop touching me!" and walked around the cart so that it separated them. He didn't seem to mind, and began to sing, "Stop touching me, stop touching me" while dancing. It was really cute! I was thinking about surprises at the time, and I wonder if he was a surprise that she welcomed. I hope they will become better friends than they seemed at Walmart. I think he seemed like a little boy who would welcome surprise.

Day 2 is coming to a close, so I'll say goodnight. Unless there are any surprises coming my way!

;)