While chatting with a young friend, experiences of LIFE come up.

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   pstraubie48posted 11 years ago

   While chatting with a young friend, experiences of LIFE come up.
   
   What would you say has been the biggest surpise along the way in your life? As for me, it would simply be a cliche, expect the unexpected. Learn from it and move forth, be it good or bad.
   
   

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2. 59

   edmob1posted 11 years ago

   Talking with younger people is always enjoyable. I think my main response is similar to yours to make the best of situations and laugh in retrospection.

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   druhepkinsposted 11 years ago

   The biggest surprise for me was to grow up and learn to know what I didn't know. We all get institutionalized to a certain degree. And through our institutionalization, we get older and take so many things as a given, things we've believed our whole lives, but some reach the point in which you have to reevaluate everything. And life is never the same afterwards.
   
   Some grew up being racist their whole lives and grew to realize how foolish and hateful it was. Some grew up in a religion or cult that they've finally learned to reconsider. For others, they've grown out of their political affiliations. Some finally fell in love with the right person and some finally fell out of love with the wrong person.
   
   Whatever it is, some people finally evolve and grow to a point where their eyes have opened wider and see things from a better, clearer perspective. Whether you like it or not you know it's the truth. This has happened to me, and this is by far the biggest "surprise" for me: unlearning what I thought I knew.

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   Shawn May Scottposted 11 years ago

   Live with an open mind. This is not a clique but something to take to heart. If one cloeses their mind they miss so many wonderful experiances and opportunities.

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5. 87

   WannaB Writerposted 11 years ago

   When I was young, in my late teens and early twenties, I believed I was a good person. I tended to be judgmental. When I saw people do certain things, I'd think to myself that I would "never do that."  When I'd read about the guards in the Nazi concentration camps and their cruelty, I could not imagine how a human being could behave that way toward another human. In other words, as a Christian I acknowledged with my head that I was a sinner in need of grace, but was still pretty much a Pharisee in my thoughts that I might be  a bit better than the "real" sinners I saw and read about.
   
   When I was almost thirty, God showed me very vividly that this wasn't true and that I was just as capable of "real" sin as anyone else. Fortunately for me, there was forgiveness from God and from others involved and healing has taken place, but it was a huge eye-opener to see myself as one who might be capable of anything if put in the right situation or feeling the right kind of pressure. It's been a humbling experience, and the redeeming value has been to crush my spiritual pride and help me feel compassion for those who are in bondage to addictions of various kinds or engage in other behaviors I think are wrong.  I have learned not to say to my self or anyone else, "I would never do that." Instead I pray for grace to remain true to what I believe with God's help and I pray for God to work in the situation and the person I see doing something that hurts himself and others.

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   Gabriel Wilsonposted 11 years ago

   I would say never judge a book by it's cover! I have some great friends that are not typically the people I would have thought would be great friends. So yeah, I've learned never to prejudge and be great full for good friends.

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7. 65

   skgraoposted 11 years ago

   I was surprised to learn from my elders and
   I remember from my memory some one who said " Wise learn from fools and fools learn from experience ".
   The next was " If  wishes were horses beggars would ride ".
   The next was " In the Kingdom of the blind the one eyed is the Monarch ".
   The next " Past is past,future is not in our hand Live in the present ".
   The next " A fair face is a foul bargain ".

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   TheKatsMeowposted 11 years ago

   The biggest surprise for me has been learning from mistakes. Even when you mess up in life, there is a lesson and it helps you grow into a better person.

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   IreneLawrenceposted 11 years ago

   I'm always surprised how gradual life changes are. I always expect that when I turn a certain age, I will have a particular aspect of life figured out (a certain relationship, finances, career, knowledge in a certain area, etc.), and then I reach that age and realize I'm not that much closer in my understanding. The truism "The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know" holds true for me. I am learning and growing all the time though, and I guess that's what really matters.

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10. 61

    DAWNEMARSposted 11 years ago

    I agree, change just happens. In some ways everything I have learned just made me into the person I am now. So what happens next is that something else will change me a little again. Got to keep learning all the time with each new thing.
    
    When I was younger I would have thought it was impossible to do what I do now. Yet now everything is normal to me and in it's place. When I was younger (in my teens) nothing really made any sense at all.

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11. 0

    An AYMposted 11 years ago

    Your own question to your answer confuses me as to what the guidelines are, expecting the unexpected isn't a surprise... it's a philosophy.

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12. 65

    leroy64posted 11 years ago

    For me it's the amazing experiences my young friends have had in their lives.

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13. 61

    hi friendposted 11 years ago

    Its natural the mind will act as young while chatting with youngsters.  Socializing with people from all walks of life will also enhance our creativity.

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