Let Yourself Be Surprised

If you’ve been with me a while, you will know that the saying ‘Let Yourself Be Surprised’ is one I live by.

It was said to me by my older friend, John, when we were on a road trip from Surrey in the UK to Yorkshire, where we both had relatives. I was discussing something about my relationship with another Englishman at the time and John told me to let myself be surprised. It may turn out better than I imagined. (It did.)

I only found out the origins of that saying a year or so ago, even though it has been shaping my life since that road trip in 1992. John and I caught up in London last year and it came up in a lunch conversation, in a quaint English pub by the Thames River. He told me it comes from a German saying to young children who are getting excited about Christmas and want to open their presents but have to wait a little.

Either way, it is still a saying that keeps me patient and trusting in life. It also helps me always lean more towards the positive than the negative.

When we let ourselves be surprised, we are open to possibilities.

Very little in life goes how we plan or imagine.

We have far less control than we like to believe.

Our control lies in our reactions and decisions.

The results our heart yearns for usually land in a varied version of our dream.

It is the feeling we are dreaming of, though it’s often disguised in our minds as a particular picture or result. We do get that feeling. It can just look a bit different to how we imagined.

Another thing about letting yourself be surprised is that your heart is open to actual surprise. I find that my life can change in such unexpected ways with no warning sometimes, always for the better.

Sure, we get hard surprises too. But usually, our resistance to life preceding that surprise can be the gauge that something is coming.

In hindsight, we can often see the warning signs.

Positive surprises are just a delightful bonus from life to say: “I see how hard you’ve been trying to get it right. Here. Have this. Have some ease for a while through this little surprise.”

The surprise may be an unexpected visit from the right friend at the right time or a tax bill far less than expected. It could be an answer you’ve been seeking that turns out to be easier than you’d imagined or something you’ve been saving up for being on sale in a store you happened to walk by.

There is no end to the surprises that life can bless us with.

Without a heart open to them, though, they can’t land.

So, let yourself be surprised.

Life is on your side and wants to see you delighted and grateful.

One small not-so-good surprise is shared in this fortnight’s vlog, which is appropriately called A Rough Start for the Garden! A beautiful surprise to accompany that story is the enjoyment that wattle season has blessed me with this year. Living here instead of visiting as I did for the previous two wattle seasons has my eyes open so much more to the ever-changing beauty around me. You can enjoy some of that magnificence in the same episode.

Until we meet here again, let yourself be surprised. Life can change for the better in just a moment!

With love,

Bronnie.

PS. If you don’t know my music, my song called “Let Yourself Be Surprised” may be the perfect song to start with, given today’s newsletter topic! It was written in what feels like another lifetime for me, but it’s a fine little tune. Just be warned: it is catchy so may get stuck in your head – in a good way! It’s from my first album, Sun Showers. Tune in for a change of scene. That and my second album, Songs for the Soul, are available on Spotify and Apple Music.

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