I'm feeling strangely optimistic about the future right now. Probably in part because of a book I've been reading. It's called "Abundance" and the premise is that humans tend to focus on the negative and assume bad things are coming. But if you really look at the technology and general good will that is out there you will actually feel quite optimistic about the future. And I do. There are so many good people in the world and we need to give them all a little more attention (and less to reality stars and criminals- b/c what's more depressing than those people!)
I hear a lot of talk about happiness and how we can get there. I was talking this over with a good friend of mine recently and we both agreed that expectations have a huge impact on our happiness. I came up with an analogy:
One day you are running around, super busy and barely have time to eat. You finally make it home and know you will have to settle for a bowl of cereal. But to your surprise, your family has cooked up some pasta and fresh parmesan and even a little steamed broccoli. You are SO thankful and enjoy every bite of the delicious meal.
But then a few days later you are again busy with life and looking forward to mealtime b/c your family is having New York Strip Steaks with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed green beans! Yum! But when you get home you realize you forgot to thaw the steaks and it's too late to start the potatoes. So you decide to whip up some pasta and parmesan and frozen broccoli. Everyone is so disappointed and complains bitterly about the lame meal.
So... same exact meal but very different responses. (I used these examples for my boys b/c we've had both situations happen and they "got it") I think life is a lot of like this and if you are always expecting so much from everyone around you or just from life in general then you will probably spend a lot of time being disappointed. It's a little bit reminiscent of my college roommates' and my "hell theory." Came up with it when we all lived together and basically it meant that we would just expect hell and be pleasantly surprised if anything better happened. ha! Decided to give that one up after a few years b/c it seemed a little negative. But there is some truth there. When I talk to my boys I realize that they are literally expecting: fun, new toys, fun playdates, gametime, yummy food, fun movies..... EVERY DAY!!! And sometimes I get pulled in and run around trying to make that happen for them. wha?
Of course I do this too when I expect so much from friends, family, my husband, etc... it's like I want everyday to just be amazing. And not only is that never going to happed but I wouldn't want it to. Someone posted this quote on facebook the other day and I remembered how much it touched me when I first heard it:
And I DON'T think the message here is to "settle." But it's more to appreciate and focus on all that is good and enjoy small things. Pulled out my "One Thousand Gifts" list again and started adding to it. There is so much beauty and goodness all around. I'm hoping to give it all lots more attention in 2013.
