Are You Saving Time for the Unexpected?

Have you ever had one of those serendipitous days when you had a pleasant surprise change your mood instantly?

Last Saturday, I had a zillion things on my to-do list. The house was deserted—a perfect time to get a ton of work accomplished. But not that day! My brain circuitry was on overload. I headed to Dailey Lake for a quick swim, and I took our golden retrievers along for some exercise.

Arriving at the lake 45 minutes later, I found it busy with vacationers. Driving around looking for a good spot to park, I counted eight dogs along the beach. Parking the car, I opened up the backend and my dogs darted to the lake to play! Right after heaving a tennis ball out into the lake for them to retrieve, two other dogs (a yellow lab and a poodle mix) joined us.

Frustration Turns to Delight: the Magic of the Unexpected!

My golden plunged into the water eager for a swim. We were both surprised when the lab snatched the ball before she reached it, then swam to the shore to join his master with the ball securely locked in his jaws. Luckily, I had three more balls to keep the momentum going. However, one by one, they disappeared.

A tad frustrated, I trekked over to retrieve the balls from the people next to us—a couple sitting near a beautiful catamaran with colorful sails. As I began relating my dilemma to the man, who had on a baseball hat and sunglasses, he looked up at me and said, “Jennifer?” It was a delight I hadn’t counted on.

My irritation yielded quickly to a warm conversation with him and his wife, who was reclining in a nearby lounge chair with her nose in a book. My quick and efficient trip to the lake turned into a major recharge, with precious reconnection with people who are dear to me. We had lovely conversations, and I enjoyed a wonderful adventure sailing on their catamaran. It was a thoroughly rejuvenating afternoon!

So it occurred to me that I hadn’t been allowing enough time for unexpected pleasures. How about you? Are you saving time for the unexpected? Or are you just rushing between appointments, or hurrying from work to pick up the kids and then rushing home to make dinner, with little time to relax (let alone time to switch plans for a ride on a catamaran).

Check in with yourself right now. Is it time to loosen up your schedule for more connection and renewal? Do something out of the ordinary for self-care?

And if you'd like to have support in finding greater well being and building emotional intelligence, contact us at Heartmanity.