surprising and remarkable!

I embarrassed a new co-worker and had to examine my own meaning last week when I pronounced the newly hired person "surprising and remarkable" in front of the boss.
The new woman stammered.  The boss gave me the stink-eye and asked "exactly what does that mean"

I had no idea, but that didn't make it less true.

SO at 0100 this morning, I woke up from a cat attack (some cats are more wild than others and can't seem to control that urge to stalk and kill) and then couldn't turn off my brain.  I pondered and questioned and thought.  I ruminated and worried. 

This is what I came up with.
Surprised is like startled or shocked, but generally pleasant, like an unexpected gift or a birthday party in which you actually have fun or a day off all to yourself when it is beautiful outside and you have nothing better to do than wander about aimlessly.
Remarkable is, well, able to be remarked about.

I think that neither adjective meant much when I was 8 years old.  I was not jaded.  I had not seen it all.  chocolate ice cream, a movie with fairies, a box of crayons would all be describable by "Surprising" and "remarkable".

In my teens, I could add things I didn't understand, like sexual innuendos and Rock and Roll and gossip.

In college, both were used when the conversation turned to ideas, plans, things never thought of before.   Experiences that had never been experienced before. 

By my twenties, work was more time consuming, life more routine.  Those words could probably not be used often, and twenty-somethings that used them would have been highly suspect.  (Pod people? body double? what is up with her).

After a while, life was rather mundane, conversation was only intimate with very close friends and when you know someone very well, surprising is not as common.  Remarkable is frequently replaced with "have you seen my socks?"  Responsibilities and day to day activities consume conversation and that reallly is life.

At work it is worse.  Weather as a conversation topic is usually safe.  What you and your family (substitute friends, loved ones, pet, club, etc) did last pm after work or on the weekend is always fair game to share with a coworker.  (Leave off arrests, affairs, illegal substances and acts of vandalism.)  If you are a good listener, those individuals that always want to vent will find you and tell you everything.  E--VERY-Thing!  Frequently, they forget they already told you  that and will  come around again and tell you-- again.  The good thing is they don't really want interruptions.  If you nod or say "uhhuh" or "right" periodically, they don't even insist you stop doing your work. 

That is neither surprising or remarkable.

So what made this new, thirty-something employee both?

She thought before she spoke.  What she said was honest even if it wasn't in agreement with what other people were saying.  She was aware of current events and was not just spouting her parents' opinions, she could explain her opinion and give cogent reasons for having it.  She was not what I refer to in my own head, as the "humiliatingly unhumble new expert".  They come in with the attitude that they already know everything and are here to fix all the problems before they have had time to even know what the problems might be.  She was also not the newbie that expected everyone to not expect anything out of her for 6 months. 

She was open about what she knew and what she didn't know.  She did not try to "yes-man" the old-timers. 
She was unapologetically herself. 

I really hope she stays around a while.