LITTLE BIG THINGS
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Surprise is peculiar.
When something, or someone, or something someone says, catches us off guard.
If we are listening for it and watching for it, we can gain some degree of understanding – like how a curious child checks out a bug or strange-looking plant – with fascination, with an appetite for discovery.
But in the adult world, whether we are frenetically busy or not, we tend to ignore little things and small gestures, and in so doing, we ignore opportunities. Those opportunities are often the magical ones that change lives, change the course of history …
Maybe I’m getting carried away about changing history, but those little things can change our view of past and future, add mystery, and open our eyes.
I often work very hard to achieve an articulated goal, trying to put something together in terms of transactional business and involving getting people on-board with an idea, taking steps large and small to advance that initiative with a belief the route, method, and objectives I’ve chosen will get me where I want to go. Often they fall short, land in the ditch, or evaporate because the world changes – not the whole world, but circumstances I have no control over can surprise everyone and quickly overwhelm a little project. The byproduct, often, is that occurrence opens up a different opportunity or reveals a new problem to solve.
This serves the argument that the best intentions and well-laid plans don’t always work. In my experience, the volume of work and commitment, while I remain committed to my work ethic, often fail to succeed.
On the flip side, is the situation where success in terms of meeting a goal was furthest from my mind – and the result startled me, a huge surprise, showing up when I least expected.
We all need ask whether we are open-minded to both seeing and acting upon surprises when they show up, ready to change when the solution is so unambiguous, to seize on something before it swiftly passes by – because little things are big things.
Reader feedback:
This one had me on the edge of my seat Mark! Suspense—who held your gaze? Great writing. Love that you shared a moment with a hawk, GB, Waukesha WI
Hi Mark, I’m glad you told all of us about your encounter! Wishing you a wonderful rest of your day, MN, Fort Worth, TX
They are awesome birds. We have a resident pair that hunt daily along our road to our ranch. Since TransCanada pipe began construction we see less of them. We also have a pair of resident owls who softly wake you in the morning and put you to sleep in the evening with their calling. Out here in the country we are blessed with so many creatures. Some, like gophers, would be better in less numbers, DW, Oyen, AB
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