No spoilers allowed

 Got spoilers? For heaven’s sake, keep them to yourself.

I’m lookin’ at you, Steve.

Ever since my coworker saw the latest Spider-Man movie, he’s practically had to duct tape his mouth shut to keep from blurting out the juicy details to the other superhero nerds in the newsroom.

Steve saw the movie on its opening weekend, and that made him dangerous. For weeks, I yowled if he so much as said the word “spider,” terrified he would spill the beans and give away the movie’s plot twists.

In the months before the big-screen release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” I fastidiously avoided online mentions of the movie, afraid of accidentally learning its secrets prematurely.

The day after I finally saw it, Steve bounded to my desk, nearly exploding with eagerness to trade notes.

Not three minutes later, Darby walked into the room ― Darby, who, as of this writing, has STILL NOT SEEN THE MOVIE.

Poor Steve had to stop mid-sentence as Darby hollered and stuffed her fingers in her ears, forbidding any newsroom Spidey-talk until she’s seen it ― and, my goodness, I hope that’s soon, because I don’t want to be the one who lets the cat out of the bag, especially about that one scene where … ahem. Never mind.

Great movies will still be great even if someone has dropped a spoiler, but it’s hard to match the thrill of walking into a theater not knowing what to expect, and knowing you don’t know.

Eyes wide with wonder, you nestle into your seat, popcorn at the ready, and slide into the world before you, ready to be surprised.

You laugh, you gasp, you grab for a tissue, you thrill with each twist of the story, the not-knowing making each new revelation all the sweeter.

As December fades away and the calendar makes a fresh start, a multitude of unknowns crowd the beginning of a new year.

I don’t know what I may be doing by the year’s end.

I don’t know where I will be.

I don’t know who I will be.

I don’t know what walls stand in my path, what stones wait to make me stumble, what fogs of heartache hover over the road ahead.

Nor do I know about the sparks of joy hiding just around the bend or the glorious beams of sunshine in which I will bask, jubilant and grateful.

Perhaps it would be easier if we could see what’s coming. Maybe we would prepare differently, steel ourselves for the hard times and pull along with more hope if we could see the glimpses of light that await us.

But I find a thrill in the opening credits of January, with its mysteries and secrets, even knowing that some of what lies ahead could be less than wonderful.

The last two years certainly held their share of not-wonderful. People died who shouldn’t have died. People acted badly, hurt each other, grew angry and bitter and sad.

But, in the midst of the undeniably bad, I witnessed good. 

I saw people finding strength they didn’t know they had. I saw people displaying unprecedented kindness, digging into their inner resources, discovering they cared.

Babies came into the world. People fell in love. Good happened.

The ahead, with no spoilers to hint at what it may bring us, looms intimidating on the horizon.

It’s not all dark and scary, though. Surprises lie in store, plot twists we can’t know but can await with wonder, ready to gasp, to laugh, to be shocked by the blessings we never saw coming.

Ask me tomorrow and I may want to kick my optimistic self in the shins. 

But, at least for the moment, I like waiting to be surprised.

Perhaps that’s because I know Someone who loves plot twists as much as I do.

God is really good at surprises. Always with the unexpected, that one. 

Manna and grasshoppers. Water into wine. Majesty in a manger.

King on a cross.

Death into life.

The unending shock of undeserved forgiveness.

Plot twist upon plot twist, surprise after surprise. He’s one director who will always keep us shaking our heads in wonder.

Will 2022 be as tough as the last few years? No idea. 

A year from now, we may be heaving a collective sigh of relief, grateful to be done with another rough one.

Or we may look back ― even through challenges ― and remember the good. The magnificent surprises. The joys. The quiet and glorious scenes where kindness persevered and truth stood its ground and love won.

I’m glad nobody can spill the secrets of what lies ahead. The unknown may be scary, but it’s exciting, too. 

Deep breath, folks. Nestle back, grab your popcorn, and look up. The movie’s just getting started.

And I think it’s going to be a good one.

First published in The Alpena News on Jan. 8, 2022.