Surprises

I'm not easily surprised. However, yesterday I came down stairs to find my youngest sister lying on the couch. She surprised me by coming to visit. She spent 17 hours flying from Texas to Baltimore just to get here in time for my master's thesis presentation. This was a great gift, and surprised me for the reason it was unexpected.
This semester has changed me though. I feel like the more I learn about myself the more I surprise myself. The process of writing a thesis yielded an investigation into my passions, desires and my soul. I started a job at the US Institute of Peace which is now over. I wrote a thesis which is all but submitted to my graduate school program. I pulled back from activities that I've been dedicated to since I came to D.C. I joined the Capital City Bike Share. I stopped logging on to Facebook everyday. I found a new spiritual community...or at least I'm trying one out. I planned, changed my mind about a lot of those plans. I changed my hair color to brunette, I lost 15 lbs. I made a lot of great outfits. I ate at every new restaurant that opened on H Street. I reflected.
While I did not blog about most of these things, they lead me to where I am today. I'm actually surprised although I saw what was happening every edge of the way. Looking back I'm not sure when the change happened, but it did.
I know next year (2011) will be one of new surprises. In 10 years I married my best friend, went to college twice, got two degrees, had several great jobs that are molding my career, broadened my understanding of the world, met wonderful people, and met myself in surprising ways.