Expectations

   As a 31 year old woman, I look back to when I was 21. The way I expected my life to go is totally different from the way my life is now. Is that bad? Well, not completely. The thing is, what I expected for my life when I was 21 was somewhat idealistic. It looked good on paper. And most of what I thought my life should be was based on what other people thought it should be like.
   So, what are expectations? Expectations are your strong hope or beliefs that something will happen or that you will get something that you want. That being said; when I was 21 I wanted to be a sports analyst for ESPN, drive a really fire Jaguar, and live in a town home with a couple of dogs. That's what I expected for my life. What really happened between 21 and 31 was that I became a video editor for ESPN, I got married, I live in a cute house in the city, I'm a mom of TWO kids,  I drive a Mitsubishi Outlander, the dog I had just recently died, and I currently work for a company that I want so badly to remove myself from. I clearly didn't expect most of these things, but I also didn't expect the happiness I have in my life right now without the other material things. Even when I look back to last year, having another baby was NOT on the radar, but here I am pregnant! Talking about expectations! I expected that as woman that had been on birth control for over a year, taking it properly, I WOULD NOT GET PREGNANT! But, these are the cards that I'm dealt. And I'm pretty damn elated about this new baby (fingers crossed for a boy).
   Real life has a funny way of laughing at our expectations. But, we can't stay stuck in our shock, disbelief, or disappointment. It's life, shift happens. And if you don't shift, well, that other word that really close to shift is going to happen. In the words of one of my favorite groups OUTKAST, "You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." Where you are in your life may not be where you thought you ought to be, but it's where you need to be! Until next time, you can expect that if you are kind, kindness will find you!