I am no Cinderella but yesterday I came home after midnight and was the proud owner of a crystal chalice (sadly still no glass slippers in my shoe collection). As this unexpected gift of a light-reflecting wine glass sits on my desk it reminds me of the fun night out, yet I am still amazed at how it ended up in my handbag. And no, I didn’t steal it.
Like Cinderella I was invited to a ball, well a wedding reloaded, and like the princess I had several tasks to do before I could leave the house. I wasn’t in the best of moods and the cake I was baking was not really doing what it should, so running a little late I arrived not long before the bride walked down the aisle.
As I sat in a modern day windowless church with the annoyance of the morning still bubbling in my stomach I started to wonder about expectancies and how we always seem to expect something even when we think we don’t. I stood and sang hymns of praise, I listen to the pastor speak his blessings and watched as my friend shed a few tears of joy, and as the beaming couple floated back down the aisle I felt my mood shift slightly.
Afterwards the party first revolved around tables laden down with food, then around the dance-floor, the bride and groom always in the center radiating joy and smiles never waning from their faces. This couple from two different continents and with a language barrier between them succeeded against all the odds to find each other and make love work. Seeing this unexpected happiness made my thoughts wander back to expectancies and the disappointment they can bring if not fulfilled.
Maybe it was the champagne bubbles in my brain but it suddenly occurred to me that what we expect has a lot to do with how we see things, if we can change our perspective, what we expect will have to change too.
After the afters a small group of us went for a night cap and chatted like old friends even if we were strangers in the afternoon, an unexpected twist in a long day. As we each spilled a few beans we drank wine and laughed about life, dating and men in general. And as the night progressed so did the little bit of safe, fun fueled flirting with the lovely barman. And before we left, success, the craved crystal chalice was mine, presented to me by the princely man with smiling eyes.
This trophy of the night will now remind me to keep an open mind, change how I think and hopefully the crystal chalice will soon overflow with unexpected things.
jensinewall 