There’s a quiet assumption most of us live by:
That life should unfold
somewhere between expectation and plan.
That if we do things right,
the day will follow.
But it rarely does.
Today didn’t.
We went to bed too late.
Because something didn’t work.
Because we were trying to fix it.
Because we wanted it to be right.
So the morning came later than planned.
And from there —
everything unfolded differently.
Not better.
Not worse.
Just… not as expected.
A run.
Breakfast with three kids.
A birthday.
A workout.
A coffee squeezed in between.
Laundry.
A short nap that turned too long.
Packing in a rush.
One of us leaving for Berlin.
The other staying behind — holding the rest.
Nothing extraordinary.
And yet:
Everything alive.
We tend to believe that:
→ fulfilled expectations feel good
→ unmet expectations feel bad
But that’s too simple.
Because expectations are not truth.
They are just stories we tell in advance.
And surprise —
is what interrupts them.
Not to disturb us.
But to show us:
that life doesn’t happen
within our plans.
It happens
instead of them.
There is a concept in Buddhism:
Non-avoidance.
Not pushing things away.
Not rushing to judge.
Just meeting what comes
without immediately deciding
if it’s good or bad.
Because the real shift is this:
You stop being surprised by life.
And start being surprised
by how you respond to it.
That’s where something changes.
Not in control.
But in participation.
Because a full day
is not a perfectly executed one.
It’s one where:
something didn’t go as planned
and you still stayed.
Present.
Responsive.
Alive.
If nothing surprises you anymore —
you’re not really living.
You’re managing.
So maybe the question is not:
“Did the day go as planned?”
But:
“Did we meet what came?”
And maybe that’s enough.
If this resonates, we’d love to hear from you.
Love,
Miriam & Jasper