Expecting the Unexpected

Can one expect the unexpected? I believe so.
Every time I take a walk, I know I’ll be surprised by something — in this case a strange wooden sculpture balanced on the long arm of a pine. I didn’t expect the sculpture to be there, and yet it is exactly the kind of thing a person who lives here might do: place an art object on a trail for a hiker to appreciate.
And even though I know the next portion of this trail leads through big clumps of Watsonia, I didn’t know how beautifully the sun would be shining through the leaves, lighting them like emerald flames.
A jutting rock I’ve seen time and time again has sprouted a yellow Hydra-like flower from a crevice and I’ve inadvertently picked the right moment to see it in full bloom.
Weathered hearts multiply as does love.
Do I expect love to flourish or fizzle? How much do my expectations of love command its continued presence?
When I turn back to where I’ve come from, and move towards where I’ve already been, every new moment is different. Each wave carries its own specific pattern of froth that morphs and changes every time it hits the shore.
I see the village of Mendocino beyond a field of calla lilies. I knew it would be there, but didn’t expect it to look so pastel and squashed against the egg-blue sky.
And when I see the church steeple in my peripheral vision, I know I’m getting close to the place where I began this walk. But I also expect to be different when I return.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my most recent daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.