Surprises

According to Merriam-Webster, the word surprise (as a noun) means “the feeling caused by something unexpected or unusual.” Surprises come in all shapes and sizes (I sound like Dr. Seuss). They can be pleasant and uplifting (like a kind word or an unexpected gift). They can also suck and catch us off guard (like an appliance breaking down or a basement flooding). But I can say with 100% certainty that surprises are very much part of the human experience. It’s what we do with surprises and how we react to them that’s key – not the surprise itself.

About a year ago, I was laid off from a job (as part of a reduction in force) that I truly loved, from a company I believed in, and from which I had hoped to retire. It was a shock to the system and hugely disappointing.

I’ll be honest, I wallowed. I was angry and bitter. I was incredibly sad to leave such an amazing group of people. At moments after the layoff, I also questioned my own abilities and skills – which I’d developed for 25+ years. It was a rollercoaster of a journey.

But I also found hope, excitement, and a rejuvenated outlook along the way. My wife and I moved to Bismarck to spend time with my in-laws. It’s been fantastic. It’s been worth every second, and I have no regrets. This has been a great surprise.  

I also discovered a passion for crafting I never even knew existed (I make Dad Joke coasters on Etsy). I was able to create this newsletter. I do consulting work with a great company and a great group of people.

Surprises – big and small – pop up around us all the time. It’s easy to get derailed by a bad surprise and lose our sense of purpose, lose our sense of hope. There are days we want to stay under the weighted blanket and eat comfort food all day. Believe me, I know.

But resilience is such a powerful part of being human. Resilience gives us the ability to overcome bad surprises and adapt to a new reality. It gives us the ability to see opportunity and a new direction for our own journeys. It gives us the strength to stand back up and move forward.

I’ve come to peace with my layoff. It wasn’t easy. I’m on to new and different things now. I’ve learned (over and over and over), like most of us, that surprises are always going to be a part of our human journey – some of which can truly paralyze us. One foot in front of the other. One leg out from under the weighted blanket at a time.

Our world may (no, it will) shift on us in ways we don’t want or don’t expect (or in ways we do want and hope for), and that’s ok. The power is in embracing the surprise and turning it to something positive.  

Until next week.

Cheers,

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way.)