To Surprise or to be Surprised!?

August 26, 2014

I turned 40 yesterday. No surprise there – just the way I like it! I hate surprises in fact. It’s the little control freak in me, paranoia, the stress, the introvert.

All negative elements. There are more positive reasons I don’t like surprises. I am a planner, I love routine, I like to be prepared.

I like to know the conditions of the environment I will be attending, will I be standing for long periods of time & therefore shouldn’t wear heels? Will it be cold & I will end up shivering without long sleeves? Will there be dancing, sitting, walking long distances? Not silly questions in my book, just being prepared!

Will there be people I don’t know there that I will need to prepare small talk for beforehand so I don’t end up looking like the mute in the corner who forgot her jacket!

Eat before hand? Or will they be serving food there – I wouldn’t want to end up hungry, I’ll drink too much & be the messy chick on the dance floor that everyone posts photos of on Facebook.

Will people expect me to open my gift at the event, & if so, how should I react? Will they be disappointed if I don’t open it? What if it’s an embarrassing gift? (Don’t ask me what an embarrassing gift would be, I’m trying not to even imagine it!).

I plan for everyday life, lists, lists & more lists. Social engagements, meal plans, shopping lists, bills to pay, things to do….. it’s endless!! The more organised I am, the more unlikely it is that I will be unprepared & surprised! Maybe I should be a scout leader….

Call me crazy, but I don’t think any of these things are unreasonable. I wonder though, would I have a problem surprising someone else???

I appreciate of course, that there is an element of surprise in life every day, & things would probably get pretty boring without them… well, maybe just a little bit!

Are you a planner, or do you just go with the flow? Do you have a tip to keep organised without being a stress head? Have you ever been the recipient of a wonderful or an awful surprise!?

I did manage to get some very un-embarrassing gifts too! Here are some pics!