Since the Thanksgiving holiday is only a week away, it’s past time to plan where you will be and what you will do. Airplane will be packed with people leaving home to spend time with family, and the roads will change from rushing to and from work to traveling over the river and through the woods.
Plans are good, but expectations can be problematic.
Perhaps Mr. Murphy was referring to the holidays when he wrote his law, saying, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” I view this season as an adventure, because I can’t predict everything that will happen. But I will get every ounce of enjoyment from whatever that turns out to be.
I was still a teenager when I learned an important lesson:
Plan whatever you want, but expect nothing.
After sixty years of practice, I’ve learned to do this quite well. I don’t expect a phone call from my sons on Father’s Day. I plan what I will give at Christmas but expect nothing in return. At Thanksgiving, I plan a great time with family, but my expectation is for nothing exciting.
I know, I’m weird. But this is what I get in return: with no expectation, I recognize every blessing, and I’m 100 percent thankful, never feeling like I’ve been short-changed.