The Unexpected

Think of an unusual or startling event that you witnessed. Write a paragraph about how you reacted, and speculate about whether you would react the same way if the event occurred again.

An unusual or startling event... It's hard to think of a good example at the moment. Wait, I have one. I learned recently that quite a few of my friends down in Taichung entered relationships, and despite it being their first year down there, some entered relationships in just the first/second quarter. Naturally, I responded with great surprise, incredulity, and let accidentally slip a couple of swear words. In this specific situation, I generally felt elated and found the entire situation very, very humorous (on principle I don't necessarily approve of high school relationships). In other situations though, I might respond with fear, panic, or shock.

If the same event occurred again, I don't think I would experience that same jolt that I felt during the first event. I think that if it were the second, I would respond with similar emotions (just not as powerful as the first), but if the event repeated itself for a third time or more, then the event would no longer be "unusual" or "startling", and I would probably respond with, "what else is new?"