A Different Kind of Good. What if Your Expectation Does Not Match the Experience?

Have you ever felt cheated because the outcome of an experience did not match your expectation?

Let me illustrate.

Not too long ago, I was picking my daughter up from a week-long outdoor adventure camp. She had attended last year and absolutely loved her experience! She had been excited and ready to go again!

I remember picking her up last year. She had a wonderful time! She had made many friends but one in particular who was very special to her. They were near tears when it came time to say goodbye to each other and they’ve since continued their friendship.

As I picked her up from this year’s camp, my daughter was happy (and tired and dirty J ) and said goodbye to this new group of friends she had made. On the way home, she talked about the people and the experiences with enthusiasm.

But, since her leave taking was different from the previous year, I wondered if she might be sad that she hadn’t developed a close relationship with any one person like she had the year before.

To ease my mind, I finally expressed my concern and asked how she felt.

My young daughter taught me a valuable lesson with her response.

She replied, “Mom, it was a different kind of good.”

I was expecting her to want the same experience that she had the previous year.

She wisely held no expectation other than to have a great experience in any way it came.

How many times have I limited the joy of an experience because it didn’t follow my plan? How many times have I missed out on a new experience because it wasn’t what I expected? Do I judge an experience as lacking and less because it wasn’t what I thought I wanted?

A “different kind of good” is a great thing to be open to and even to expect.

If there is a sadness or challenge that is difficult for you to face because it’s not following your specific plan or expectation, I hope you can now consider that you may very well be in the process of experiencing a “different kind of good.”

Much love,