Expectations and Gratitude

Yesterday, it snowed! The first fluffy snow of the year that stuck to the ground. As I peered through the glass doors at work, I thought of how much fun I would have building a snowman the next day, on my day off from work. I looked forward to this particular task, as it brought me joy and positive anticipation.

Today, the day came that I had some spare time to play outside in the snow. I put on my snowpants with excitement as the expectation of building a snow man I had built in my head was coming to fruition. As I finally equipped my last piece of winter attire, a pair of gloves, I started rolling the snow into a ball.

To my disappointment, the snow was too dry to stay compacted. I tried harder to make my dream come true. I pressed the snow together harder and harder. No matter how hard I tried to smash the snow together, it wasn't sticking. Looks like I wasn't going to be making a snowman after all. Though I felt a sense of disappointment, I was determined to still have fun in the snow.

While I was attached to the expectation of making a snowman, I had to let go of that so the loss of that idea wouldn't bring me down. Letting go of expectations, I invited other possibilities of invoking joy. I decided to make a snow angel instead. The snow was shallow, and the leaves of the forest floor peeked through. The sight of the leaf and snow angel was beautiful.

Proud of myself for implementing the lessons of detachment and openness, I left with a sense of fulfillment and joy. Even when my plans and expectations weren't fulfilled.