Finding Surprises
by Steve Goodier
Have you noticed how life is full of surprises? A sailor tried to
find a new trade route to China and stumbled upon a new (to him)
continent. Alexander Fleming inadvertently left a culture dish on
a window sill and discovered penicillin. Another scientist
discovered saccharin when he noticed a strange, sugary taste in
his sandwich.
According to a story from UNCLE JOHN'S ULTIMATE BATHROOM READER
(The Bathroom Readers' Institute Bathroom Readers' Press, 1996),
in 1989, an unidentified "middle-aged financial analyst from
Philadelphia" paid four dollars for a painting at a flea market.
He didn't even like the painting -- it was the frame he wanted.
So he took the picture apart...and when he did, a copy of the US
Declaration of Independence fell out. It was folded up, about the
size of a business envelope. He thought it might be an early
19th-century printing and worth keeping as a curiosity.
A few years later, the man showed the print to a friend, who
suspected it might be valuable and encouraged him to look into
it. He did, and learned that only hours after finishing work on
the Declaration in 1776, the Continental Congress had delivered
the handwritten draft to a printer with orders to send copies of
the Declaration to "the several Assemblies, Conventions &
Committees and the Commanding Officers of the Continental troops,
that it be proclaimed in each of the United States & at the head
of the Army."
This was one of those original copies. No one is sure how many
were printed that night; today only 24 survive, and most are in
poor condition. But the one in the picture frame was in excellent
shape, having spent the better part of two centuries undisturbed.
In 1991, it sold at auction for $2.4 million.
Life is full of surprises! But most surprises are not nearly as
dramatic as these. The unexpected occurs every day...random
kindness from a stranger; a tragic accident is narrowly avoided;
sickness unexpectedly healed.
There is a surprise hidden in every day. It may be disguised as a mere
coincidence, but those who look will find it.
It's an exciting way to live!
__________
Steve Goodier
Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.