on being predictable

In most things, I enjoy surprising people. There’s a bit of delight in seeing that moment of “oh!” cross people’s faces as they’re getting to know me and realize something about me that they wouldn’t have expected. And making so many new friends and acquaintances in the past couple of years, I’ve had quite a few delightful moments as people realize their assumptions about me may have been just a little off…that they haven’t pegged me quite as accurately as they may have thought.

…like the fact that I drive a truck…which throws everyone – everyone! – off.

…like surprising a colleague when I turned the radio way up to sing and drum along to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”

…like the student who mistook my time living in cities for a disinterest in the outdoors.

…like my Vice President’s disbelief at the deep red nail polish with glitter on top that I wore last year for New Year’s Eve.

But sometimes, there are moments when I love being predictable…when I take comfort in someone knowing exactly what I’m going to do or how I’m going to act.

…like friends who worry when Halloween (or Easter or some other small holiday) arrives and they haven’t received a homemade card from me. Only to find the card in the mailbox when they get home (either because I was late mailing them or the Post Office took longer than expected to deliver them) – because I can’t resist sending homemade cards for miscellaneous holidays…and love that certain friends expect them.

…like receiving a box of Belgian chocolate sea shells in the mail. I might have picky tastes, but they are stable enough that, if I’ve said I like something, the chances are high that I will always like it. Which I like to think makes it easy when one of my best friends wants to order me a tasty treat from A Southern Season.

…like when one of my staff members is running late for a morning meeting, frets about not having time to grab breakfast, and decides not to worry because she thinks I’ll have breakfast treats at the meeting. And I do.

It makes my heart happy that, in some ways, I will always do and like exactly what people expect.

Where I am: home
What I'm reading: just finished Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen