A Timless Three-Word Quote

One of the best three-word phrases, or quotes, ever created (in my opinion, of course) is: "Expect the unexpected." These three words have been running through my head since about 9:00 am.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe someone in the world needs to hear these words.  Or, maybe it's more important that the words came to me.  I did some quick research on this quote.  One site I found showed that this quote was first used in a sentence by an Ancient Greek Philosopher by the name of Heraclitus.  Assuming that's correct, what a profound statement!  And, how amazing is it that those three words spoken so long ago are...timeless.  While pondering the phrase this morning and afternoon, I began to think about how important it is to expect the unexpected.  A lot of us (myself included) don't always like to do that.  But these days, I'm learning how important it is.  Of course, we don't want to dwell on the fact that bad things can happen unexpectedly.  But, in the back of our mind we should know that life can change in an instant.  A stranger can walk into our lives and turn our world upside down at any moment.  Someone we know can walk out of our lives at any moment.  A tragedy can happen through no fault of our own.  Or, we can receive an amazing gift unexpectedly.  As I thought of these things I began to analyze the quote a little more (because I love to analyze everything), and I thought "OK, but what do we after the unexpected happens?"  Then, a specific situation came to mind. Someone very close to me last year had someone walk into their life unexpectedly.  They're now slowly creating a loving relationship with this person that they haven't fully adjusted to, and in some ways, don't want to adjust to.  Although I'm sure this person knows to "expect the unexpected," I'm not sure they know quite how to handle it.  As I reflected on this situation the light bulb came on (A-HA!), and in came the answer to my question: what do we do after the unexpected happens?  We just...embrace it.  Whether the unexpected brings hardship, pain, joy, or love, we experience growth when we embrace unexpected events.  So, today I challenge you (and myself) to not only "expect the unexpected," but embrace the unexpected.  After all, this unexpected thought brought on an inspired moment that has blessed my day.


"Don't fear change - embrace it."


Anthony J. D'Angelo