The Element of Surprise

Last Thursday I was in a rush and running late for work.

I had lived in my beautiful house by Chatauqua (the Flatiron mountains in Boulder) for almost year. I was comfortable. It was my home.

So when I saw a note outside my bedroom, the contents startled me. Staring in disbelief I scanned through the document…“due to unforeseen circumstances,” “city zoning officials,” and “your lease will expire on August 31st…” was all I saw. I had one month to move out, find a new place and move in.

Tears began streaming down my face. I was confused and started thinking of the worst. Everyone else I knew who was looking for a new place had been doing so for a few months and I even had good friends who asked me to room with them, but I loved my house and renting situation so I had declined.

I’m taken back to my first week in Boulder when I ventured out alone and was scouring Craigslist everyday, every hour. I remember it is like playing a gambling game and wondering where my life would take me. But now, I knew I had come so far. I love Boulder. Snap out of it, Grace!

Fast forward a few days. I’ve since realized (past the initial shock) that this is JUST how life works. I had let myself get too comfortable with one piece of my life and forgot to expect the unexpected, even in my everyday life.

The element of surprise-it’s like nitroglycerin

I can’t help but feel nomadic–like I’m that 20-something who isn’t “settled,” and is moving around and isn’t sure where to re-route her bills yet because boxes are piled high at friends’ houses and in my car. Well that’s me and for right now, that’s just fine. Freedom rides alongside me; sleek and rugged. I’m shedding the first year of Boulder skin and beginning something new.

A home is our nest and to me, it’s my safe haven so I’m going to recreate it only this time I know where to live. I have resources. I’m determined to find some fantastic new roommates and a new spot in Boulder that I’ve also wanted to live in. I’m calling it my new chapter in Boulder. Try for renewal, moving on from a relationship lost and onto a new place. I couldn’t have foreseen the last few months happening when I first moved here. Who can? I still know there are upsides, there always are.

I’m trusting and am pumped for the element of surprise. Like Andy Nulman, author of Pow! Right Between the Eyes (aka the surprise guru) says, the element of surprise is like nitroglycerin. “A little bit used well, it sparks euphoric shock and gets the heart pumping. A little too much handled recklessly, it can blow up in your face.”

…Bring it.