Expectations and reality

So much of our suffering comes from the gap between expectations and reality.

We expect something (or someone) to be one way, and what we experience turns out to be quite different.

How tightly do we grip that disappointment? How long do we remind ourselves about what we thought would happen and the way things were “supposed” to be?

We can do three things. We can continue to be discontent. Or we can work to change our circumstances. Or we can work to change ourselves.

That last option — changing what happens inside our head — is the option that’s most readily available, the easiest, and yet the hardest too.