Last week, a monkey stole my cupcake…

Well, it tried, but I won. This phrase is one of the many things that came out of my mouth that I never thought I would say in my lifetime. It’s funny how life has a way of surprising us, often when we least expect it.

I was sitting on a bench eating lunch and enjoying the cool breeze that followed the rain. A friend had dropped some cupcakes for a game night at church later that evening. I told her I would take them inside for her when I finished eating. As I sat there, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a monkey approaching. In an area with many tall trees and children dropping crumbs, there were often many monkeys around the church, so this was not an unfamiliar sight, but they usually kept their distance from people. However, this monkey seemed unusually bold, perhaps emboldened by the lingering crumbs from an earlier gathering.

Each time I looked at the monkey, it would become a statue waiting until I turned away to creep its little body closer to the prize it so desired. Its eyes were fixated on the box, and I could almost hear its tiny heart racing excitedly. Before I knew it, my new little friend stood on its hind legs beside the bench, its tiny hands stretching out as if ready to snatch away the cupcakes. We locked eyes as the monkey reached forward, grabbed the box of cupcakes, and began pulling it toward himself with surprising strength. I quickly reacted, pulling the box back towards myself. The monkey furled his little eyebrows, a comical yet determined expression on its face, and then initiated a tug-of-war match so fierce I felt like I was back in grade school on the playground. Each time I pulled the cupcakes back towards me, I found myself pointing and scolding the monkey as if I were the parent of a rambunctious toddler, filled with righteous indignation. I’m sure that was a sight to see!

Eventually, the monkey accepted its defeat and sauntered away in the most melancholy manner, its tail dragging slightly as if ashamed. I returned to eating my lunch and celebrating my victory. After a few minutes passed, I realized the monkey was recruiting backup. Before I knew it, more than twenty monkeys approached the bench, a brigade of mischief matching the intensity of my earlier struggle. Panic surged as I realized I was no longer facing just one little thief but a whole army of them. As I was unprepared for this escalating battle, I quickly gathered my cupcakes and ran to safety, my heart racing not just from the absurdity of the situation but also from the thrill of the unexpected adventure that unfolded in the most ordinary setting.

Lately, I have been learning to expect the unexpected. As a girl who likes details and being in the know, this does not come as an easy task, but a worthwhile one. Whether it’s monkeys at church, scorpions in my bathroom (it was a tailless whip scorpion – go ahead and google that if you are looking for some good nightmare material), fire alarms waking me in the wee hours of the morning, or angry cats out my window at night, I’m learning to let go and laugh at the little things I cannot control. What starts as a bizarre incident becomes a funny story, which reminds me that I may not know what to expect, but I can welcome the humor hidden in what sometimes feels like chaos.