[OSList] How to prepare to be surprised?

[shanna leonard]

when I was 17 and 18  and in my first year of college I used to prepare 
surprises for people I knew and people I would never meet, surprises 
which might or might not surprise.. or might not even be noticed.  For 
example:

  * I bought a case of ruby red grapefruit, painted hearts and  messages
    on them for valentines day and left them for friends to find.
  * I drew elaborate cartoon scenes in chalk on classroom chalkboards
    late at night, just so the first class of the day would be
    surprised, and wonder.
  * I'd write little funny notes with pictures and hide them in unusual
    places, like taped to the underside of a table just so that the kind
    of person who might be looking in a strange place would find them.

Setting up surprises was such fun.. - Like a letter in a bottle. Setting 
up a cause, and then letting go of the eventual effect/non-effect.  
Spending time and care crafting  extravagantly hopeful,  disposable 
messages. That seems to have the flavor of open space to me.

"Modern Times" are purposeful. Efficiency,  Getting Things Done. And yet 
in nature, for example in evolution,  there is waste and extravagance - 
hundreds of seeds -  one germinates. Many mutations fail before one 
succeeds. Amazingly,  the gorgeous diversity of life on earth came about 
without a to-do list. Without the use of Microsoft Project.

I am a newcomer to open space, but I believe that these days there is 
too much sensible sense, and not enough senseless sense. We spend too 
much time repeating the small futures we know how to control, and not 
enough time  cultivating trust - preparing the soil for a surprisingly 
gorgeous future to grow of its own accord.


On 4/4/2012 1:11 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:
>
> This was just a "throw away" when it popped out of my mouth, as I 
> recall. But it lived on in part because of its nonsensical sense, 
> possible impossibility -- or some such thing. Maybe something like 
> "the sound of one hand clapping?"
>
> ho
>
> Harrison Owen
>
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
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> Phone 301-365-2093
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> *From:*oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org 
> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] *On Behalf Of *Harold 
> Shinsato
> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 04, 2012 12:39 PM
> *To:* oslist at openspacetech.org
> *Subject:* [OSList] How to prepare to be surprised?
>
> Searching through the archives there were many many postings about "be 
> prepared to be surprised". But "How to be prepared to be surprised" 
> returned 0.
>
> Any tips on how to prepare? It came up as a question today for me in 
> conversation with someone - and I can't believe I've never thought 
> about it before. How do you prepare to be surprised? Any thoughts, tips?
>
>     Thanks!
>     Harold
>
> -- 
> Harold Shinsato
> harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
> http://shinsato.com
> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
>
>
>
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-- 
Shanna Leonard
ssl at email.arizona.edu

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