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Blogs by Susan M Phillips
Surprises just seem to happen
3/14/2008 3:32:33 PM
That's the thing about surprises, they always pop up when they're least expected
Personally I love a nice surprise, don't mind coping with the occasional less pleasant one. As far as I'm concerned, life should never be overly predictable. If I knew what the day had in store for me when I open my eyes in the morning, I'm not sure I'd want to get out of bed. Spirit of adventure - that's my guiding force.
Take my hair, for instance. For years I shied away from hairdressers because, no matter how carefully I explained my wishes, I'd always come out with something totally different from the image in my head. Nowadays I saunter in, sit in the chair and give as little instruction as possible. Hairdressers are, first and foremost, artists. We often forget this and expect them to be manufacturers of a predetermined product. So, I sit there and we chat. I explain that I have no fixed views, other than that it should be easily maintained - anything needing more than a swift combing is out. The result is a surprise when I look in the mirror. Generally it's an agreeable one, occasionally I have to remind myself that hair grows and I won't look like this for too long. I had my hair cut last week. Never having met the stylist before, I wondered if he'd be okay with my policy. In fact, we had a chat, a laugh and he started washing and combing. I asked what he had in mind, just to be friendly, and he shrugged. "I'll just make it up as I go along," which is just what he did. The style he came up with is simple, easy to maintain and actually looks good when I get out of bed in the morning - quite handy when someone is knocking unexpectedly at the door.
Today was a particularly good day for surprises. In the morning the post arrived swathed in elastic bands - I'd mentioned to my postman that someone I know collects them. He always has a pocket full from the bundles of post in his bag. As he works through each bundle, the band holding it becomes redundant. I was finding little red bands on the footpaths around the area where his overfilled pockets had given up their treasure. They look like little earthworms and I was worried birds might accidentally swallow them and so asked if he'd mind pushing them through my door. He was delighted to oblige and I was delighted to receive.
The day went on fairly oddly - I won't burden you with every moment of it, but there was one lovely time when I took my son's bride to have her wedding dress fitted. She's a slim, girl - natural size zero, but with a little of the hour glass about her, and so even the smallest dress in the has to be adapted to nip in to her tiny waist. I'd offered to pay for the alteration, which we expected to be quite expensive, it being rather a lovely thing. As it turned out, it wasn't many pennies at all. Another nice surprise.
When I got home, an email was waiting for me from a contact I made recently during my quest for 100% chocolate bars. He had previously promised to get some for me and then had to retract the offer when supplies dried up. It turned out that he had found some after all and was ready to post them to me. Now, considering the fact that this man doesn't know me from Eve, I would expect him to request the money up front, but not a bit of it. He has put them in the post (no doubt the packet will arrive decorated with red bands) and requests that I pay him when I take delivery and am satisfied in all respects. What a lovely person. That was the third surprise and very happy it has made me.
Actually, there was another one, but I seem to forget what it was whenever I sit down to type. It was a nice one, though. More than that I cannot say.
I wonder what tomorrow has in store - no, if you are psychic, don't tell me.
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More Blogs by Susan M Phillips
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• Nearly there - Saturday, March 12, 2011
• Happy New Year - Wednesday, December 29, 2010
• Lost a castle, found a forest - Friday, April 09, 2010
• I found my category! - Thursday, April 08, 2010
• New category needed - Wednesday, April 07, 2010
• Raising money to help the homeless and vulnerably housed - Saturday, January 30, 2010
• Happy New Year - Thursday, December 31, 2009
• Making History - Wednesday, December 23, 2009
• Change of direction - Thursday, December 17, 2009
• French sojurn - Monday, September 21, 2009
• My poem is going into print - Wednesday, September 02, 2009
• new profile, new photo - Thursday, August 27, 2009
• From sprinting to spinning - Thursday, August 20, 2009
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