You can always expect the unexpected. So why are we surprised when it happens? Whether it is comedy or tragedy, the unexpected brings out the real us, the person we try to keep under a polished veneer of gentility and complicity.Â
A funny unexpected moment is hearing, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” meaning then and there. No time to run and hide or freshen your makeup or prepare something clever to say. It’s improv time; you are seconds away from the show; and your anxiety skyrockets because you know no matter what you do or say, you will be judged by your weight.
Sometimes these encounters are successful. That someone turns out to be a nice bloke, easy-going and funny. Perhaps the encounter doesn’t end in a hoped-for date, but at least you get to enjoy having an intelligent conversation. At other times you’re horrified that a friend or family member (who supposedly has your best interest at heart) could ever imagine that this someone is ideal for you. Do they really think you’re that desperate? Perhaps they are exacting revenge for that ugly Christmas sweater you regifted to them last year.
The never-welcome unexpected moments are the tragedies, the sudden bad news which makes life harder or bring death closer. These moments are filled with fear, regret, and negative, intense emotions.
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune don’t allow us to be comfortable, not for long, whether we are rich or poor, happy or depressed, thick or thin. How we react to the unexpected makes all the difference. You can let them dictate your emotional well-being and happiness, or you can use them as lessons to becoming a better person and take arms against a sea of troubles. To be or not to be: that truly is the question.