If you could see the future.....

If you could see the future, would you want to?
At this time of year, I begin reflecting on the past year and how amazingly different things are today than they were just a year ago. At our end of yearly gatherings, I always tell our staff and collaborators 'We're going to be amazed at where we are a year from now'. Without fail, each year we are indeed amazed.
Would we liked to have known? Would we have chosen to see exactly what was going to happen?
While it may been have nice to know that a risk was worth taking or that a tough time would lead to unexpected rewards, I love the surprise of it all. Perhaps that's because the year has been overwhelmingly successful and rewarding in so many ways. But there were also some very tough and stressful times; just enough to make the rewards seem that much sweeter.
Knowing exactly how things would turn out may have spoiled it somehow. The unexpected surprises are often the most treasured. It's like opening that one gift under the Christmas tree that was totally and wonderfully different than you expected. Part of the joy of Christmas is the anticipation and not knowing what gifts there may be.
Perhaps life is sweeter as we prepare to be amazed. We watch for it. And in the preparation and the anticipation, we create the amazing things that come. It is, itself, an energy that lifts us into the amazing. Because we are watching for it, we celebrate it. The celebration creates more and reminds us to anticipate more amazing things.
Today, I am thankful for the journey and the unexpected. It's a time of celebration.