Big Splash - Little Cash

What's not to love about high, positive visual impact with very low investment!  We love fresh cut flowers strategically arranged in favorite vases in the entry, living room, family room, my home office, powder room and kitchen.  Nine days ago, Edgar brought home 2 beautiful bunches of cheery yellow daisies that allowed me to fill all the normal vases and add bouquets in his home office and the master bath.  The flowers are still perky, with only a few stems removed.  He frequently surprises me with fresh blossoms of various kinds, which is awesome.

My inspiration to mention it now is the longevity of these blooms, the number of arrangements and the very modest investment, less than $10 including tax.  We all owe it to ourselves to bring inexpensive cheer into our lives, whatever forms the cheer may take.

Sarita x 2

Sarita is a lovely name, but not very pervasive.  Imagine my surprise when a colleague and I had just been discussing an upcoming event featuring author and motivational speaker Sarita Maybin, and the phone rang with Edgar letting me know that he'd made it to Sarita, TX on his journey.  What a unique and marvelous way to assure me once again that everything is beautifully connected!

Buffalo Nickel in Circulation

I recently presented a $5 bill at checkout and received 7 cents in change.  Surprisingly, the nickel was a Buffalo nickel. The Indian Head and Buffalo images on the front and reverse are clear but the date is not.  These coins were minted from 1913-1938.  It's amazing that a coin that was produced 73 - 98 years ago was still in circulation. 

We never know what tiny treasures we may overlook when we fail to be observant.

Great Adventure

Gar told me to be casually dressed for a surprise birthday adventure yesterday afternoon.  We had a great time at Trans-Siberian Orchestra's winter concert tour!  It was 2 1/2 hours of non-stop entertainment.  I loved everything about it - his novel idea, the terrific shared experience and another wonderful memory.

Lovely Surprise

I was so eagerly anticipating Julia's arrival yesterday, but anxious about her arriving at 8:00 p.m. on the busiest air travel day of the year.  Two of her classes were canceled and unbeknownst to us she called Continental and booked the last seat on an earlier flight.  To complete the surprise she called a friend to pick her up at the airport.  When Mama and I came home from a most successful shopping trip, Julia had just arrived.  There's so much to be thankful for including the lovely surprise of several more holiday hours with Julia.

Surprises

Our precious daughter was delighted to answer the doorbell and find that her boyfriend from Miami had converted airline miles to surprise her for a post-Christmas visit.  This was a super surprise!  They are in sync.

And, in sync is the only right way to deliver surprises.

Surprises are only wonderful when they bring joy to the recipient. A surprise party for a super shy person, hosted by an exceptionally extroverted friend, seems to the extrovert the perfect way to spend a special day.  However, the introverted birthday person would much rather have spent the evening with one or two special friends. 

Positive surprises include visits, calls, letters and emails from those we cherish; photos from special events; a recommendation on LinkedIn; a referral; a congratulatory note...

And worst of all, are negative surprises.  If the employee is expecting a raise, and instead, receives a written performance plan, there's a clear and unacceptable disconnect.  There should be no surprises in this arena.  Employees should consistently know if they are meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet expectations.

Negative surprises tend to relate to allocation of time, unspoken expectations, inconsiderate behavior, treating another as we'd like to be treated rather than how they'd like to be treated...

May most of our 2010 surprises be positive!