The Element of Surprise

In the past five years or so, I can only name two books that were read from beginning to end with no skipping ahead: Eleven (Mark Watson), It's Not Me, It's You! (Jon Richardson). I find this fact quite important. I am still reading Jon's book. I'm on page 221, and even flicking the pages to find out how many there are remaining to read made me cringe and my eyes divert themselves away from the book itself. Yes, I realise it made the exercise entirely pointless. I also realise, after doing a spot of not-so-secret-anymore Googling, that I am certainly not the only person who cannot help but read the last few pages of a book before even looking at the first page (on occasion, even including the blurb).

There are arguments that reading the end of a book first can actually enhance the experience of reading it, an argument that I am slightly inclined to agree with. I like to know what is likely to happen, in any given situation, so I can adjust my behaviour appropriately throughout. In school, a lot of kids know that they are likely to get the dreaded detention if they misbehave, and so they are well-behaved. Prediction > response. I don't like situations popping up just when you think that life is perfectly levelled out. 

Put bluntly, I don't like surprises. [And I certainly don't like them when they're some form of surprise test, an unexpected argument or, the worst, a traffic jam.]

Arguably, the fact that I don't like being, or feeling, surprised accounts for a lot of the decisions I make...

I know that topic is unlikely to appear in the exam, I'll revise it anyway just in case.
She was in a foul mood this morning, I'll stay here for a while longer until she's likely to have calmed down a bit.
If I cross the road when a car is approaching, I'm likely to get run over. I'll stay here on the pavement until the road is car-free.

I like to see the lack of the element of surprise in my life as more of a good thing than a bad one. My worst-case scenario would almost definitely be something along the lines of a surprise party. Firstly because I have been to several parties that I would describe as badly organised and executed - and this would irritate me no end considering my daily planner has a colour-coded system so that by simply glancing at a day I'll know whether the birthday marked is for a relative or friend - but secondly because there is no normal way to react to walking into a room full of people there to celebrate you in some form.

Equally, I'm not a fan of horror films. There are enough REAL horrors if I turn on the news, therefore I don't think it necessary to force false horrors onto myself so that I live the rest of my life reminding myself that I won't get killed if I set foot into a shower, but equally I need to be wary of any shower taken when I am in the house alone. The way I see it is this: why add to the looming pile of worries and concerns I already have?

Arguably, I don't need to be worrying about being surprised in my day-to-day life either. And I'm not. Not really, anyway. But equally, by at least acknowledging the fact that one day I might have to be surprised by something, I am counteracting the odd emotions that will inevitably follow as by simply thinking about the possibility, by brain is going over every potential situation and thinking of ways I could react. And this, my friends, is why I never seem to get any sleep...

Besos ♥
Rachel