Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Appreciate the Unexpected

Appreciate the Unexpected

Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. - the movie Forrest Gump

We humans feel an instinctive need to know what is coming next - what we can count upon. While this is especially true when we are expecting something great, the tendency to want predictability is universal. If we are expecting our spouse to arrive home from the grocery store with a pound of hamburger and they show up with a steak, we may not be pleased with the special treat, but rather set off balance and therefore mildly upset by the surprise.

Consider that one of the dictionary meanings of the word "expect" is "demand." The path to happiness is to avoid making demands upon the world, and especially to avoid making demands upon the future.

Life is never predictable, and that is great with me. Boredom is not my preference. I really like the analogy of life to a box of chocolates because it reminds me that what I actually get is likely to be as sweet or sweeter than what I "expected," just different.

Today's affirmation...
I cherish the uncertainty of life's adventures. - jlh

Further reading: Helen Keller: Life is either a daring adventure or nothing

I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me. - jlh

Intention versus Expectation (Demand)

3 comments:

  1. Surprises can go either way, and we can either be pleasantly or painfully surprised. You’re right though, between the predictable and the unexpected, I’ll choose the latter. Knowing that there’s always something new waiting for us in the future makes life more colorful, and having things to look forward to gives us the drive to get up in the morning and enjoy our day.

    P.S. Go to www.makemorelivemoregivemore.com to help you appreciate life’s little surprises and live more this 2010.

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  2. i am always been expecting which makes my life miserable. but life it seems is giving me the best treatment that i can hold on to to keep me heartfully well. there is someone i know that made a change in me but it is a forbidden love and will never be a reality. we are just being the persons that nothing could stop being so caring. his kind words makes me feel complete and setting him free is making me love him more. i look up to the highest power to give me the grace to understand that loving him is all that will make me whole and to see him happy with his wife is just enough to keep me well.
    i will always love him the way i should till eternity.

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  3. my life has been a mystery and i live with that...i have loved someone but too late to be realized. i cannot expect any good thing from it, but i will just hold on to that love. it makes me feel extraordinary. it is love, true to its meaning. i cant deny it. the more i try to ignore the feeling the more i feel the love getting more intense than ever. we keep connected, because we care about each other. that is all that is necessary to fill our hearts with joy.
    he got a wife to care about...i am just someone who came too late. i do not intend to destroy their marriage, but i will keep my love the way it should be. distance is not taking away the feeling we have for each other...maybe that is good enough. god knows what is for us and what is not for us. he is the one who plans for everything. i will abide to that. i thank the lord for giving me the strength to keep my stand...to love him more unconditionally.

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