Hot Coffee Coaching

My daughter dislikes surprises.
I know this because when my kids
were about six and seven
I surprised them with tickets to the
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards
complete with backstage passes to the
celebrity after party.
We had already planned a vacation
to Seattle.
When we got to the airport,
I steered them to the next gate
explaining we had to make a stop
in LA first because I had
TICKETS TO THE NICKELODEON
KIDS CHOICE AWARDS!!
Tessa burst into tears.
Ben looked from his sister to me,
back to his sister.
Then, joined in her uncontrollable hysteria.
No surprises for Tessa
(a preference she has carried into adulthood).
Ben’s neutral on the whole surprise thing,
but don’t upset his sister.
I love surprises.
They restore my faith
in possibility and remind me
the universe sometimes, lots of times,
delivers on the positive outcome
I’m anticipating anyway.
An unexpected text, email or call.
An out-of-the-blue client opportunity.
Comcast picks up on the first ring.
A surprisingly good conversation.
Or, a night that stays with you for days.
Each surprise breathes possibility into the next.
Each outcome has the opportunity to
over deliver on already heady expectations
of what’s next.