The power of unexpected nice things

As someone who has been used to rushing about, being perpetually busy and placing high expectations on others, I've often found it hard to keep patience and keep frustration at bay with things being cancelled, delayed or people being late. I would get annoyed, my blood pressure would rise and I would quietly seethe. But, being the people pleaser that I tend to be, I would never say anything.

That was until I made a concerted effort to

Slow. The. Fuck. Down.

And my lens changed.

Instead of seeing cancelled appointments, and late friends as a nuisance and a bug bare, I now relish the time I didn't know I would have to myself.

Be it going to a cafe and taking time to watch the world go by*. Taking some time to appreciate something beautiful I never would have seen. Calling a friend who I always mean to call. This time can be used for self care, doing things you don't usually make time for and just giving you a space to breathe.

It's these unexpected nice things that are often the most vulnerable. They give us time to recuperate and reflect.

They keep us in the moment.

And these moments can be serendipitous. We may meet people we never would have. We may have thoughts that could lead to great plans and ideas. We may have a thought we may never have.

So, give your blood pressure a break when something doesn't go according to plan. Grab that stealer time and let yourself come to life.

* In fact, this is how this blog post came to be written, in a cafe with a stolen thirty minutes I didn't know I'd have.