Expectation vs. Reality

Lesson. Learned.

It was the middle of summer. We were headed out the door. Kids on bikes and me pushing the jogging stroller ready to run (okay jog) our usual route. We'd found a comfortable groove the the crew and exercise, sunshine and fresh air. The babe rode in the jogging stroller, kiddos rode their bikes, and I jogged.  I liked the routine.

Before leaving the garage, my six year old turned to me and said "mom, I want to run with you today."

***insert long pause and some crinkled eyebrows***

Mentally, I was predicting how disastrous/frustrating this would be if she couldn't run.  Her suggestion was not part of my plan. I was clearly internally irritated, but took a breath, faked a smile and said, "why not?"

Off we went. I expected her to struggle, ask to sit, and to want to give up. I expected a huge gap between my two on bikes and my six year old trying to run with me somewhere in-between. But reality came through completely different from my expectation.

She ran HARD. And kept going strong. As if the wind lifted her. All the way to the end.

The reality of this experience reminded me of something. This experience, like many, wasn't about ME and MY expectations, but allowing my child to believe in herself, take action, and ACCOMPLISH something on her terms. Often the REALITY of these experiences turns out much better than any plan or expectation I'd made.

How many times do I "think they can't" when they really can?
How often do I think I can't, when I really could?
How often do we sell ourselves short?

Self doubt can destroy us. Confidence can lift us.

"If you believe you can, you will. If you believe you can't, you won't."

MINDFUL MOMENT: Expectation and reality can lie vastly separate from one another.  When I recognize I'm internally 'expecting' a negative reality with those closest to me, I do my best to breathe and choose to look at the situation from the other's perspective.  It helps remove the frustration and replace it with more understanding.