Surprise

People come and go from our lives every day. Some we don’t even notice, others have a profound impact on us, positive or negative, while others turn out to be different than what they seem. I’ve found that it’s the people who surprise us that have a lasting impact.

Recently, I encountered a young professional who really seems to have his head on straight. This person was a bit quiet at first (though most people are slightly withdrawn when you first meet them, I’m not, so this still has a tendency to surprise me), carrying typical introduction conversation about careers, families, hobbies…you get the point, we’ve all been there. As time went on, and I began to learn more about this person, not from the words that were spoken as much as the behavior witnessed. There were a number of subtleties that, honestly, when added up, made my head spin. Over time, I realized that my first impression of this person was almost completely inaccurate. As a person who considers herself a good, no great, judge of character, you can imagine my surprise.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Upon first meeting I found this young professional to be friendly, and that didn’t change…if it had, would I be wasting my time writing about it? Let’s hope not.

The best part of getting to know someone is learning things about them that are out of the ordinary. These qualities tend to make people mysterious, and therefore more interesting to us. Often times not knowing what someone is going to do next can put people a little on edge, but that ties back in to interesting – they make you want to know more. Think about it. You go to haunted houses every fall because it’s a thrill, you never know what’s waiting for you around that next corner. And if you did know, odds are you’d spend your $6 admission on the pumpkin ale at the local brewery instead.

Sure, not all people are like haunted houses (though I’m sure we all can picture a few right now…) but it’s the surprises in certain people that keep you coming back for more. We’ve all got that crazy friend, the one who you never know what’s going to come out of their mouth, or what kind of trouble they’ll get into during a night out, but my guess is, you can’t think of a time you didn’t have a complete blast with them.

The people in our lives who continue to surprise us, positively or negatively, keep us on our toes. They make life interesting, unpredictable, mysterious. But in the end, can you image your life without them? I didn’t think so.

Cheers!

-A