Friday, March 14, 2008
I am always surprised - Friday Mar. 14, 2008
today’s Musing written and published from south Calgary, near Fish Creek Park
walk report: -6C/20F, we ventured out cautiously, predictions of significant morning flurries had me nervous about footing but we found bare and dry under a mostly empty sky – unexpected conditions while Gusta was not sure if she saw 14 rabbits or the same rabbit 14 times - unexpected stimulation to be sure
getting what I expect - achieving work-life balance is as likely as a lottery win, possible, but highly improbable on any given day; how then, if I seek a work-life balance that puts a smile on my face, can I plan, do, work, play, live . . with any expectations at all?
consequences can be predicted to some degree: being unprepared rarely produces a winning result, making assumptions is always a wild card, people tend to behave the way they have before if circumstances are the same, things that are dropped often get damaged in some way and, delaying a decision rarely alters the ultimate decision but the delay often alters the outcome significantly
unexpected consequences, unexpected events, unexpected feelings – each arrives unexpected and I am always surprised; beautiful surprises, unmitigated disasters – each arrive under the unexpected label; when I look at the troubles on my plate – I have to ask which ones were unexpected; when I look at the unexpected consequences of events – few could have been predicted; however, the beautiful surprises were all the result of good efforts, well intentioned deeds and genuine interest in the issue, person, project etc. - there is a lesson in that if nothing more than realizing it
I was expecting a client to take a step they said they would – they didn’t (after 28 years I am used to this phenomenon but always perplexed by the unique direction it takes, often far more intriguing than my initial wildest expectations) which often produces a chuckle, once in a while roll-on-the-floor laughter; I was expecting a different response from my daughter in conversation – she didn’t, but when we talked yesterday it was productive and healthy – what I didn’t realize was that she’d not seen my offending e-mail or my apology . . . laughter followed, stubborn genes intact; I was expecting support and hoped for success with a speech I gave in a contest last night against formidable competition – I got it and I did win, but the unexpected consequences were the laughter I never expected; I’d planned it seriously and expected it to produce a serious reaction (I believe it did) but I had no idea it would produce laughter . . or the win
‘Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.’ – Carl Sandburg
each time I get an unexpected consequence I smile and recognize I should have been expecting it – then time passes and I get another one and I am always surprised; each time I get a surprise, fair or foul, I find that when I try to dissect it there is clear evidence to me there is direct connect between the quality of the effort I put in relative to the quality of the surprise; sometimes I deservedly land on my tush, sometimes a butterfly lands on me
Mark Kolke
339,496
197.4
... with your voice, teach in order to learn
What do you think? Join the discussion - comments are welcomed - please write.
To subscribe to Mark's Musings daily email distribution, write to mark@markmusing.com
©2008 MaxComm Communications
walk report: -6C/20F, we ventured out cautiously, predictions of significant morning flurries had me nervous about footing but we found bare and dry under a mostly empty sky – unexpected conditions while Gusta was not sure if she saw 14 rabbits or the same rabbit 14 times - unexpected stimulation to be sure
getting what I expect - achieving work-life balance is as likely as a lottery win, possible, but highly improbable on any given day; how then, if I seek a work-life balance that puts a smile on my face, can I plan, do, work, play, live . . with any expectations at all?
consequences can be predicted to some degree: being unprepared rarely produces a winning result, making assumptions is always a wild card, people tend to behave the way they have before if circumstances are the same, things that are dropped often get damaged in some way and, delaying a decision rarely alters the ultimate decision but the delay often alters the outcome significantly
unexpected consequences, unexpected events, unexpected feelings – each arrives unexpected and I am always surprised; beautiful surprises, unmitigated disasters – each arrive under the unexpected label; when I look at the troubles on my plate – I have to ask which ones were unexpected; when I look at the unexpected consequences of events – few could have been predicted; however, the beautiful surprises were all the result of good efforts, well intentioned deeds and genuine interest in the issue, person, project etc. - there is a lesson in that if nothing more than realizing it
I was expecting a client to take a step they said they would – they didn’t (after 28 years I am used to this phenomenon but always perplexed by the unique direction it takes, often far more intriguing than my initial wildest expectations) which often produces a chuckle, once in a while roll-on-the-floor laughter; I was expecting a different response from my daughter in conversation – she didn’t, but when we talked yesterday it was productive and healthy – what I didn’t realize was that she’d not seen my offending e-mail or my apology . . . laughter followed, stubborn genes intact; I was expecting support and hoped for success with a speech I gave in a contest last night against formidable competition – I got it and I did win, but the unexpected consequences were the laughter I never expected; I’d planned it seriously and expected it to produce a serious reaction (I believe it did) but I had no idea it would produce laughter . . or the win
‘Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.’ – Carl Sandburg
each time I get an unexpected consequence I smile and recognize I should have been expecting it – then time passes and I get another one and I am always surprised; each time I get a surprise, fair or foul, I find that when I try to dissect it there is clear evidence to me there is direct connect between the quality of the effort I put in relative to the quality of the surprise; sometimes I deservedly land on my tush, sometimes a butterfly lands on me
Mark Kolke
339,496
197.4
... with your voice, teach in order to learn
What do you think? Join the discussion - comments are welcomed - please write.
To subscribe to Mark's Musings daily email distribution, write to mark@markmusing.com
©2008 MaxComm Communications
