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Unzipping Surprises — Episode 295

Mini Miracles From Minor Moments  ·  with Linda Gullo

Episode Introduction

When I was a little girl, I had a tin jack-in-the-box. I would turn the handle, hear the tune, and watch the clown pop up. I did it over and over and over again, and that small thrill of surprise never wore off. In Episode 295, I share why those tiny lift-the-lid moments still matter to us as adults, the stories of surprise that have stayed close to my heart, and a new chapter I am opening at Delight in Living.

About This Episode

A surprise can be very small — a package that lands on your porch from something you forgot you ordered, a phone call from someone you have not heard from in months, or my dog Pearl pressing her paw on my knee at ten o’clock at night when she still wanted to play. Research suggests these little jolts can lift our emotions by as much as 400%, raising dopamine, sharpening focus, helping our memory, and gently lowering our heart rate. They strengthen the bond we have with the people we love, and they soften the loneliness many of us feel even in a crowded room. That is the heart of why I keep coming back to these stories with you every two weeks.

In this episode, I also open the door on art therapy groups returning to my office at Delight in Living. Art therapy is not about making something pretty or perfect. It is a way for people to give shape to feelings that words cannot always reach — through color, through paper, through sitting with others who are doing the same. There are no rules, no expectations, and no right or wrong way to express what is on your heart.

Episode Highlights

• The tin jack-in-the-box from my childhood — and why that small thrill of surprise has stayed with me all these years.
• Marvelous memories that buoy us up: the dog and cat staring at each other through the laundry room window, packages on the porch, and phone calls from voices we have missed.
• Pearl’s paw on my knee at 10 p.m. — what our pets are really asking of us, and the gentle lesson on follow-through I keep learning.
• Why writing was, and still is, powerful medicine for me — and how I am circling back to it.
• Trains, my brother in Alabama, and the unexpected places memory takes us when life slows down at a railroad crossing.
• Mother Teresa’s words on joy: “Joy is a net of love by which you catch souls” — and what that has shaped in me about both giving and receiving.
• Art therapy classes returning to Delight in Living — what a session looks like, who it is for, and the dopamine-and-focus science of why surprise lifts our emotions by as much as 400%.

A Reflection for You

What surprise has visited your week? Was it a phone call, a package on the porch, a stranger’s kindness at the grocery store, a stripe-y gopher in your backyard, or a small project you finally finished after months of stop-and-start? Take a moment to name it — say it out loud, write it down, share it with a friend. Joy grows when we notice it, and it grows still more when we pass it on. That is the heart of what I hope every one of these podcasts gives you.

Listen, Connect & Support

If you would like to learn more about the art therapy groups, individual counseling, couples counseling, or business and life coaching offered at Delight in Living, you can email me directly at [email protected]. Find every episode of Mini Miracles From Minor Moments at lindagullo.com/minimiraclespodcast, and learn about coaching at lindagullo.com. If this episode brings you a smile or a small lift, please share it with someone who could use one too — that, too, is a surprise worth giving. You can support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/delightinliving — every coffee helps keep this little corner of joy going.

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