— Isaac Bashevis Singer
A couple of decades ago, I knew someone who used to say, "Never expect, never disappointed." It almost sounded good in theory, but something about it always made me think of Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh's pessimistic friend.
This morning,
I heard a concept that I liked so much more:
"Enthusiasm without expectation." It immediately resonated with me and reminded
me of an experience I had yesterday.
I had an
appointment that I was worried about. In
an effort to be kind to myself, I asked one of my closest friends -- the one
with the hilarious laugh -- to meet me for lunch after. I figured no matter how badly the appointment
might go, there was lunch with a great friend to follow. (In an ostrich move, I actually tried to
postpone this meeting for a month.)
As Wednesday
approached, whenever I felt my anxiety about the dreaded appointment rising, I
thought with enthusiasm about lunch with my friend. We would laugh for sure.
Life, of
course and invariably, is full of surprises.
The appointment went very well -- miraculously even. And my friend had to cancel lunch. But the "thought" of lunch with her
had served its purpose -- my enthusiasm about lunch had calmed my nerves. And when lunch did not pan out, I was not as
disappointed as I might have been.
(Clearly, the meeting results helped.)
So today when
I heard about "enthusiasm without expectations," it made me think about
yesterday. And it struck me that in
being enthusiastic without being overly attached to the results, we can be kinder
to ourselves and to others -- and perhaps enjoy life a little more.
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