Ripples #1158: The Surprise of Today

PEBBLE

Wherever you are, at any moment, try and find something beautiful. A face, a line out of a poem, the clouds out of a window, some graffiti, a wind farm. Beauty cleans the mind.
-Matt Haig, shared by Pete in Ouray, CO

BOULDER

Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.
-Henri Nouwen, shared by Toby in Chicago, IL

PONDER

Last week I whipped up a 3-minute PepTalk about how my “bad start” morning turned into a better day when I inspired myself by inspiring another struggling soul. Quickly making the video and uploading it to our official Team Ripples Facebook Group  lifted my spirits even higher…until I sat down to check emails and found a few frustrating issues that threatened to dampen my spirits.

Luckily for me, Ripples came along to save the day! I had 30 minutes blocked off on my calendar to review quotes and assemble this week’s Ripples, so I turned away from the yuckiness in my inbox and instead focused on recent quote submissions. At the top of the list were the above quotes just waiting to inspire me (and hopefully you, too).

It turns out that when I’m in the right mindset, I can purposely choose to recognize all the surprises of the day, even the yucky ones, as gifts. Some gifts invite me to go through the day acquiring joy, gratitude, and peace. Other gifts invite me to grow through the day acquiring wisdom, strength, and tenacity.

This doesn’t mean I have to LIKE every surprise that pops up. Instead, they serve as an invitation to choose, consciously and mindfully, what to focus on. I’m extending that invitation to you, too.

Are you in?

Peace,
Paul
P.S. If you need a good surprise today, you’re invited to receive a random inspirational quote from our new Digital Ripples Deck. If you’re curious to help nurture these into print, you can watch this video or just contribute via an Unleash Ripples Kit.

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