Expectations

I have an imagination. I don't want to brag, but I have an amazingly vivid imagination. As a kid I had imaginary friends, tea parties, classrooms, and families to mother. As I grew up, I had no problem writing A+ creative writing pieces. I am even pretty good at imagining what a professor wanted in a piece when I hadn't read the whole book or done all the research. I think the official term for that is my ability to"B.S.".

This imagination can also be a negative thing. In my mind I have pretty much played out events the way I think they should happen. Entire days like Mother's Day or Christmas have been vividly orchestrated in my imagination. Simple things like a date out with my husband or a few hours shopping with my kids have been played out, with dialogue, in my mind before we even back out of the driveway. This type of imagining leads to expectations. My vivid imaginings lead to great expectations, which can be heart breaking in the end.

Let's take Mother's Day for example. In my imagination there would be breakfast in bed followed by each child reciting a beautiful poem they wrote themselves. They would also hand me a long stem rose to fill the pretty vase on my breakfast tray. Then my husband would usher me to a waiting tub full of steaming water, bubbles, and rose petals. While I luxuriously bathed and prepared for church, my family would hustle to clean the entire house and dress in their best for church. After a peaceful and reverent morning sermon we would head to my favorite restaurant and then home for me to take a long nap in a quiet and peaceful house. Must say that these are some GREAT expectations.

If these are my expectations then I am going to spend everyday (especially Mother's Day) disappointed. I have learned to reign in my  imagination. I have begun to have more realistic imaginings. I now imagine a kiss good morning with a "thank you for being the mother of our children", a hug from each kid, a sermon where I only have to tap a kid on the shoulder & shake my head twice, and a meal that I didn't have to cook. When my imagination is contained in a realistic realm, I am not disappointed by life and in fact I am often surprised that my expectations are exceeded! That my friends is the best part of having realistic expectations, you can be sweetly surprised on occasion!