The Joy of the Unexpected
When I woke up to my first day in Philadelphia this morning, I had no idea of the joy that was about to unfold.
My friend Kerri took me and her dogs for a walk in the park. (She has two beautiful Bernese Mountain dogs.) During our conversation, she suggested some joyful ideas for the day and mentioned going whitewater rafting.
“What????” I thought. “Okay—of course!” I said.
Next thing I knew, we were headed an hour north of Philly. Like my unexpected trip to Cuba a couple of weeks ago, I’d had no idea in that less than 24 hours upon arrival, I would be completely elsewhere—in this case, rafting on a river.
Joy has a magical way of surprising us when we continue to notice, invite, and appreciate the mysterious ways it shows up. It doesn’t have to be a trip to Cuba or a day of whitewater rafting—joy could simply be connecting with someone, receiving or giving an unexpected act of kindness, or experiencing a welcome coincidence.
Today was such a gorgeous day to be on the water and capturing the river’s joy with my camera!! I can’t thank Jerry McAward and Kerri enough for this wonderful surprise adventure and for allowing me to share in the joy of being in nature and connecting with others on the river.
