We couldn’t reserve seats, and interest looked high, so I wanted to arrive early. That’s not surprising. I default to early over late. There are exceptions, but this day, my sister and I arrived plenty early. We were first in line and alone in line for at least 10 minutes. Okay, so maybe we didn’t need to arrive so early. But at least we weren’t going to miss out!

Our mom joined us soon after others began lining up, and once seated at a table, one more person joined us. We enjoyed getting to know her. We enjoyed the tea and finger foods. We enjoyed each other. We could have missed it, but there didn’t seem to be much chance in that. Some people would say we wasted time by arriving early.

That’s one perspective, and sometimes, early-birds miss out. Sometimes, procrastinators miss out. Simultaneously, each approach invites connections and experiences in their timing. There are costs and benefits of each choice. What’s not a choice is being in two places at one time. We cannot authentically multi-connect or multi-experience. Sometimes we need to change our choices to adjust our connections and experiences. Other times we need to sit in the choices we’ve made to fully consider what connections and experiences are around us in the moment. We can find ourselves in unexpected fullness when we’re feeling uncertainty and space. When we let go of disappointments heightened by our expectations, we can embrace surprising moments.

What I primarily savored about my high teas on the high seas experience had nothing to do with the scheduled event but the quiet moments of internally reflecting and appreciating where I was in the broader context of possibilities. It wasn’t a highlight of my day or trip, but that’s what gave it perspective to invite appreciation. It’s the small moments that can invite surprising sweetness.

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