Backseat Endeavours? Naw.

I got pulled over by a police officer on Monday. Well, not pulled over, exactly, seeing as the car wasn’t running. And I suppose it wasn’t actually my car either, I was the passenger. But you get the point.

I was out by Leduc, sitting on the side of a gravel road beside a gigantic, empty field. The car was boiling, but I was cuddled under a blanket regardless. It was cozy. It was also around 2:15 in the morning.

We saw headlights making their way down the road towards us. I joked that it must be a cop thinking we were two highschool kids getting it on in the backseat. Then, it got closer, and my friend said “What’s that third light on top?” That was it, we dissolved into hysterical laughter. (The laughter may have also been due to the ensuing conversation when we first spotted the vehicle; details of which I probably should not share on the internet.)

Sure enough, he pulled up directly behind her car, turned on the red and blue, and came over to the window.

“Evening, ladies. May I ask what you’re up to out here so late?”

“Watching a meteor shower,” my friend said with a smile. The look on the cop’s face was priceless. Not two horny 16-year-olds, not some stoner blinking in the light of his flashlight, not an abandoned car (perhaps with a dead body, slightly decomposed). No, he got 2 young women (tidy and sober, I might add) out looking at the goddamn stars.

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised?

It’s a wonderful feeling. It can enliven a person’s day, and make just that little bit of difference that tips the scales from Blah to Yeah (!). (Yes, cheesy. In a good way.)

I don’t let myself get my hopes up – that way, things are always better than I expect them to be. It’s nice, going to work dreading the rush and the inadequate employees, then having the night go smoothly. Or nervously anticipating my big exam, despite all my studying, and then finishing in half an hour because I was so well prepared.

I’m not suggesting you should keep low standards. (Particularly not in the arena of Significant Others. That tends to end badly – plus, personal hygiene is important.) I’m not even suggesting you should adhere to my method of achieving little happy moments (Pleased as Punch by Paige™). Scoff at me, if you like. Bite your thumb, while you’re at it. I’m just saying – it works for me.

Happy surprises are superb. We all need more of them in our office-grey, 9-5, things-keep-falling-on-me lives. Here’s to hoping you have one today.