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Partially inspired by an acquaintance over lunch, I decided to read James Joyce’s Ulysses. Before tackling the nine hundred page colossus, I went to a well-stocked bookshop to buy a good copy. They had two different editions on offer. One, with extensive notes, commentary and guide. The other – just Joyce’s unadorned text. I chose the latter. I don’t want to be told in advance what to look out for. I want to be surprised. No. I’m not getting every literary allusion. And yet, several hundred pages in, I am enjoying the book immensely. I love the way he bends language, how he gets under the skin of his characters, and how he celebrates life in all its forms; beautiful and ugly. I have no idea what this ingenious author will do next, and the anticipation is delicious. And for a book of such serious reputation, I was not prepared for Joyce’s humour. There are moments I find myself laughing out loud. It often seems to me that we do our best to avoid being taken by surprise. We like to know in advance what will be the results of our investment of time and energy. What the payoff will be if we commit to a particular course of action. If I start meditating every day, what will it do for me? If I date this person, will it be worth my while? What will I get out of reading this book or watching this TV series? If I start praying regularly, will I be happier? If so, how long will it take? We also like to order our lives, to categorise our experiences, so that even if we do chance upon something out of the ordinary, we often try to compare it to something already familiar. She reminds me of so and so. This beautiful sunset looks just like the one I saw in Sardinia several years back. That’s not to say that this preoccupation with the predictable isn’t useful or important – it can provide us with the stability to thrive. But surprise can be the key to incredible self-transformation. Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, in the Hebrew Scriptures, God admires the devotion of His people at the time of the Exodus and exclaims: “How as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, in an unsown land.” Nothing could prepare the ancient Israelites for their most remarkable journey. There were surprises at every turn; clouds of glory, pillars of fire, a God that thundered from the heavens and took up residence in their midst. It was a journey that forged their identity as a Holy People and brought them to the edge of the Promised Land. Whatever one’s journey consists of, I believe that surprise can be the opening through which we access new realities, and opportunities, previously unimaginable.