Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world not as it is, but as we are – or, as we are conditioned to see it.
– Stephen covey
People say, optimists are the only ones who are disappointed and while I was growing up, my mother would drum into my head, “to always leave room for disappointment.” This was her way of keeping it real.
People will disappoint you and things wont always go the way you planned. Makes me remember that “to always leave room for disappointment.” was never more fitting than the last Christmas I saw my father in the flesh; he was already pretty much absent by then but he came to see us some days before the actual holiday and promised to be back to take us toy shopping on Christmas Eve. He never showed up. Ever. After.
Daddy issues aside…some might say that this was a pretty pessimistic thing to teach a child but as I got older, I understood what my mother was trying to do in her own way. She was trying to teach me how to let go of the outcome or not get too attached to “what might be”. You set the bar high, give it your all and then you let go. If at first your don’t succeed, regroup and try again. And hey, if you don’t want to try again…that’s cool too, because you gave it your best shot the first time around. It was a valuable lesson to learn and one I try to remember as I live each day.
Glass half-full…glass half-empty…I’m learning that for me to win at this life, I have to strive for the best, give it my all, have fun along the way and let go of the rest. I think my mama raised an optimist who escaped the Matrix…There is no glass…
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I’m participating in BlogHer’s NaBloPoMo Challenge for the month of December:
You can read some awesome entries here: NaBloPoMo December.