Surprised?

I try to update my blog as often as possible, but sometimes, quite honestly, I just don’t have anything to say. So for the past few days I’ve been racking my brain, trying to find something I want to talk about, something that needs to be said.

Through all my frustration, I kept coming back to the same concept, one that has been prevalent in my life as of late: I love to be surprised.

And I’m not just talking about my knight in shining armor showing up on my doorstep with roses and chocolate… lots of chocolate. I love it when people do something small, something they probably don’t even notice or consider significant, and it helps restore your faith in the kindness of others.

My ex-boyfriend broke me physically and mentally. By the time I was emotionally ready to leave him I was certain that he had ruined me for all future men. I had no self-esteem, I didn’t trust anyone new and I was sad… really sad. He had broken my spirit.

I had no idea how to recover and I wasn’t sure I ever would. As I’ve written previously, I finally reached a point where he was not a thought in my mind. I allowed myself to go through a grieving process, although I think I spent more time on the anger stage than necessary.

I finally realized that there was no magic remedy except to just sit back and allow myself to heal. I just had to live my life and do things that made me happy. And trust me, it didn’t take much back then. I was like an attention-starved puppy, every small gesture seemed golden.

And then, as luck would have it, I found happiness again. I regained my strength, got my life back together and focused on being happy.

Once you’ve been beaten down, the journey back to life feels like childhood - everything is shiny and new and the possibilities seem endless.

So what restored my faith in the kindness of people?

(pause for dramatic effect) That is a story for another time.