Expectations vs. Reality
Do you ever script out, in your mind, how something will go? What it will look like, feel like, and be like? There's a specific vision in your mind, with an anticipation of it all playing out just as you planned? Oh cool, me, too! And just like clockwork, it rarely goes according to plan. That can be such a defeating feeling.
This was my Christmas day. It didn't look or feel like I imagined it in my head. You know what's crazy, though? For the first time ever, I went in with an anticipation that my perfect little vision probably wouldn't materialize. Some may call it pessimism. Others may call it experience. I call it growth. In years past, I would find myself getting pretty sad when my little vision melted as reality set in.
Most of our Christmas day was spent as a party of three, as Sarah spent most of the day in bed with a brutal sinus infection. I felt terrible for her. Also, instead of a white Christmas, we received an odd 50-degree Christmas day. That sounds possibly fun, except for the fact it rained all day. The boys and I saw the new Wonka movie at the theater. About 15 minutes in, the screen went black, where it would stay for about 30 minutes. After getting it running again and adjusting the timestamp of the movie a few times (resulting in us seeing the same parts multiple times), it went from a two-hour movie to a three-hour experience.
Nothing went quite as expected. But it was still an amazing day! I knew it would look different than I had hoped for, and that's ok. I was ready to embrace it for whatever it is, and create memories with the kids nonetheless. And that we did. It could have been a huge letdown, but we thoroughly enjoyed our little tainted Christmas. We lived in the present and enjoyed our time together.
I think our Christmas is a parallel to much of life. It's rarely going to go as we hope, so we have two options: a) lament the fact reality isn't matching our expectations, or b) continue to see it through, embracing whatever plays out in front of us. It's going to be messy, frustrating, chaotic, and a roller-coaster. We can wish for something different, but we can't wish away reality. All we can do is expect the unexpected, savor whatever comes, and always decide to make lemonade when it's raining lemons.
I hope you had the absolute most perfect day ever, but in the likely event you didn't, I hope you embraced and savored your very imperfect Christmas day, too. Today won't be perfect. Tomorrow won't be, either. That's ok, though! Embrace whatever comes your way.