When it comes to surprises, I am somewhere in the middle as far as enjoyment is concerned. And this probably will come as no surprise: I love good surprises but abhor bad surprises. 

This week I experienced four surprises, and they all fell on a continuum ranging from not good at all to absolutely magnificent. First on the "bad" surprise side: a mouse (who was quickly escorted out of my house in the wee hours of the morning) and on the "very good" side: the arrival of the first proof copy of TSLL's 2nd book.

I just have to read that last statement again because it doesn't quite feel real yet: Yep, the book I absolutely cannot wait to share with you is real. The smell of the pages, the sharpness of the cover, the content laid out as it should chapter by chapter - upon opening up the package, I sat on the floor and just gazed at it. A reader of the blog described it as my "book baby", and in many ways she was absolutely correct. Sometimes the biggest surprise is that our dream comes together as you had dreamed, even though in retrospect you know the work and time was put in. However, it never feels real until it reveals itself in its completed form. 

So this concept of surprises. The questions I have been asking myself this week is, "Is it possible to enjoy any time of surprise? Is it possible to appreciate the not so wonderful surprises?" I am going to venture to say, probably not as much as the good ones, but what I took away from the not so welcomed ones this week is that how I handle them will determine future opportunities or setbacks. Let me explain.

When I saw the mouse, the first thing I did . . . yes, I will admit, I screamed. Then, I started to strategize. I wanted it out of the house, not just back in its "hole" or wherever it came from, so I got out my broom, and made a clear passage to the wide-open back door. The boys were half asleep and didn't see it (perhaps all the more reason to welcome a cat into my life), so I made sure they were out of the way, and then I gently showed it to the door at brooms-length. 

While the two examples I shared with you today on either end of the spectrum are far from extreme, I sincerely found how we savor or handle the surprises to be seen as an opportunity for growth and deeper appreciation. 

Perhaps you too had a surprise or two this week. I hope that the surprise was good, but if it was not, take a moment to see how to apply the lesson in order to seize a future opportunity rather than squander what hopefully will never happen again. And if indeed it was a very good surprise, why not savor it a little bit longer this weekend?

Speaking of savoring, the newsletter is yours to enjoy! I want to thank the readers who have already sent their "Ask Shannon" questions to me to be answered on the annual episode this June. There is still a lot of time to send your question, and all of the information is below.

Wishing you a lovely weekend and here in the states a wonderful Mother's Day weekend if you are a mother in the traditional sense or a mother giving nurture, warmth, love, support and kindness in any form. As a doggie mama, I want to wish all of the animal mamas a wonderful weekend as well. 

Thank you for subscribing to the weekly newsletter, and until next week, I'll see you on the blog.

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