The Element of Surprise

(On the occasion of my 70th Birthday Weekend)

I like to think I'm an unsuspecting, non-conspiratorial kind of guy,..floated along in life, had my successes, certainly had my failures, tried to be helpful where I could,.. you get the picture.  But through all of this tries to generally lay low and fade to the background....  But that just my lowly opinion,.. am I laying it on too think....  Pat, says I should just tell the truth, ..if I'm capable of that.  Truth is, ..as humble as I think I am, there's never a time when I'm not talking and I'm certainly very opinionated.....  To which I say, that in itself is a matter of opinion.

Any, Pat and I headed for Miami the past weekend, ... a little R an R,  .. to celebrate my 70th birthday.  She said I need ed to get out the winter doldrums,, certainly the truth, and away for the Northeastern gray skies of February.  Neil Jr. had agreed and off we went to spend some quality time with my eldest and his wife.  I knew there'd e some outside activity, it is Miami after all, and at some point we'd have dinner. And after 4 days, back to Philly. All of that proved to be true,... its just what happened between the lines got me off balance..... and, at the same time got me on balance,,, for the next 70 or so years. 

On Friday, I'm up, heading downstairs,  and playfully exclaim,.." Good Morning Family"...  no response,,.. didn't think too much of this, but then Neil's Mother-in-Law, Sheila Monroe comes into view as she rounds the bend of the 1st floor balcony.   Hugging her I say."Sheila,,...  I thought you had gone back to Philadelphia,, what a pleasant surprise" ,  and it indeed was. Note: she had been done to run the Miami 5K,.. as had Marcella's sister Rhonda Johnson, who just at that time materialized out the downstairs bedroom,....  " Rhonda,  I had no idea you were still in town,,.... What a pleat surprise,.., and again,.. it was indeed.  I was oblivious to the plot that was brewing,.. or, in fact had already been cooked and was about to be served.

An hour passes,.. the apartment door opens,  Pat: "Look who I ran into downstairs".   My youngest brother Isaac and his family was emerging from the door into the apartment.  For a split second, I actually thought she had just run into them on the streets of Miami.   Isaac, his grandchildren, Owen and Sophia and my niece, their mother, Bianca.  We hug and then, it occurred to me that they had planned to be there, invited by my cunning wife, Pat.  And I'm relatively speech, but absolutely beyond thrilled to see them.  But, I know that I'm in the presence of greatness.  A Mastermind was indeed at work and behind a master plot. By contract I'm really slow to catch on.

Isaac and I go out to lunch,... had a nice lunch at a restaurant around the corner from Neil and Marcella's apartment.  Two hours pass,,,,,, another sighting,...   this time Derrick and Linda.  This is no coincidental happenstance, and I'm dumbfounded, as well as speechless..  This is too much,  we laugh, my mind soars again, I sit down from laughter and exhaustion.   Can't get the smile off my face or the giggles out of my mind. Then I'm let in for the plan afoot for that evening: Two nights at an Air B 'n B with Isaac , Derrick and Linda and of course the Master mind (Pat).   I'm jumpy, nervous and waiting for another coincidental appearance, at this point..  Whose, next Julia and Robynn?,,.. Bob?  Ritah?....No one shows up,, I look out the apartment door to make sure.  No one's there,.. the coast is clear,.. this is the end of it.  I can relax,.. and I do, although a part of my mind is still on Cloud Nine.

Had a great dinner that night at the apartment, then headed for the Air B'n B, a few blocks away, sttle in, have a conversation, before bed, and marvel at the surprises that have unfolded that day.  Its been a full and awesome day,.. and I've been completely blown away.  I'm not one for surprises,... never know how to respond and always feel a bit awkward, but not so today. I'm so glad they've arranged these surprises for me,.. and everyone was in on it, I came to discover later on.

The next day we meet up at Neil and Marcella's apartment and head over to the local popular hangout Mall in Miami. Put in our coffee and danish orders,  arrange tables and chairs, and are ahvimng a real good time.  Lind and I are talking, she glances off to the side, then I glance to the side,,.....Robynn, Julia, Mara and Andrew standing there grinning, at how oblivious I was to the fact they had been standing there for the last 2 minutes. I didn't have a clue that they were going to be there,  had been planning to be there for close to be months, ... The Master plot had been brought to completion.  I was completely floored, that my family had driven to Miami, taken planes, had discussed showing up in Miami on my 70th Birthday for months.

The Element of Surprise. Author Julia Cameron once said, "Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise."  This was a weekend of surprises for me, A weekend drenched in love, saturated with joy, and for me, manifest with lots and lots of gratitude.