Spontaneous is considered a good thing to be – except when combustion is involved, of course. And, in principle, Fatima agrees. Doing something spontaneous means acting on impulse, on intuition, taking risks, breaking routine, changing patterns, surprising your intellect, trusting your emotions, courting adventure. There are no guarantees in spontaneity. And that’s the point. You act without a safety net. You send caution out to lunch. You suspend judgment. You play it, whatever the situation is, by ear. The results can be mixed, inspired, boring, disappointing, enlightening, invigorating, or embarrassing. It depends on the size of the moment and the angle of the gesture.
Fatima had a small, spontaneous moment yesterday afternoon that turned out more delightful than she expected. She decided on the spur of the moment, in the middle of her shopping activities – spontaneously, you might say – to simply stop by a house and ask the woman, who was painting the window frames, about it. The bright-eyed woman looked a bit confused when Fatima told her what she wanted. But they both smiled at the unexpected incident of their meeting and exchanged friendly sounds, punctuated by Fatima’s apologies for stirring her from other matters. Nevertheless the woman cheerfully led her around the house. They talked and talked about the rooms and the enormous space, the neighbourhood, the history of the house, the details of its renovation. At this point, Fatima felt completely relaxed. So did the woman. They both rather enjoyed themselves. Their thoughts moving as fast as the wind, their emotions swirling along at a slower place. Once people have passed the boundary of the coincidence, they’re free. The two women spent about half an hour together before Fatima went further on. They smiled and gave little waves of their hands at each other. She walked to the butcher and pondered whether this incident was a case for or against spontaneity. By the time she had all her purchases, and returned to her own apartment, she concluded that maybe spontaneity won the day, 1-0. In the universe of the spontaneous, she figured that this was a good average score.