Jackson missed his first week of school- and it will be okay.
I still haven’t gotten to take Jackson’s official “back to school” picture this year because he hasn’t made it to school yet. The poor guy got croup the weekend before going back to Pre-School. So, we are missing the first week entirely, and I am so bummed for him and, honestly, for me too.
Missing the first week of school made me realize the expectations and anticipation I put on starting school again. If Jackson got sick on the second week of school, I probably wouldn’t feel so bummed out. I wanted him to have the perfect first week, where everyone gets to know each other and the new routines.
The further I can pull myself out of the current zombie state and exhaustion from having a sick toddler, the more I realize that Jackson will still have his first day and first week of school- it will just be next week. He will still get to know everyone; he already knows the routine because it is the same school he attended last year. And he probably doesn’t even know or care that he missed anything.
Jackson likely isn’t feeling the disappointment or jealousy that I am experiencing. This makes me think about where else I am putting expectations around how things “should go” and how I respond when they do not inevitably go that way.
If you’re anything like me, I set expectations around how most things in my life should go, and typically the expectations are pretty high. Doing this creates two things for me. First, when I can execute against expectations, I get a pretty damn good version of life. Alternatively, I make a wide net for disappointment when things are outside my control and fall below my expectations.
With altitude, I can revisit this thought process. The solution is not to lower expectations. I will never lessen my desire for a high-caliber life. The way forward is to get crystal clear on your expectations for life when you feel disappointment creeping in. I expected Jackson to have a great first day and week of his PK-4 year. I did not care on what day of the month this happened. I only desire him to go into class smiling and hopefully enjoy his time. The clarity helps me reevaluate this situation, focus on getting him healthy, and prepare him for next week when he gets to go to school for the first time this year.
Where else can you take a closer look at your expectations? How might clarity help you to reevaluate a disappointing situation and look at it in a new light? Slowing down and questioning what makes us feel a certain way often helps clear things up. Granularity around what you want/ expect/ or need is essential to help you get what you want out of life.
Missing the first week of school made me realize the expectations and anticipation I put on starting school again. If Jackson got sick on the second week of school, I probably wouldn’t feel so bummed out. I wanted him to have the perfect first week, where everyone gets to know each other and the new routines.
The further I can pull myself out of the current zombie state and exhaustion from having a sick toddler, the more I realize that Jackson will still have his first day and first week of school- it will just be next week. He will still get to know everyone; he already knows the routine because it is the same school he attended last year. And he probably doesn’t even know or care that he missed anything.
Jackson likely isn’t feeling the disappointment or jealousy that I am experiencing. This makes me think about where else I am putting expectations around how things “should go” and how I respond when they do not inevitably go that way.
If you’re anything like me, I set expectations around how most things in my life should go, and typically the expectations are pretty high. Doing this creates two things for me. First, when I can execute against expectations, I get a pretty damn good version of life. Alternatively, I make a wide net for disappointment when things are outside my control and fall below my expectations.
With altitude, I can revisit this thought process. The solution is not to lower expectations. I will never lessen my desire for a high-caliber life. The way forward is to get crystal clear on your expectations for life when you feel disappointment creeping in. I expected Jackson to have a great first day and week of his PK-4 year. I did not care on what day of the month this happened. I only desire him to go into class smiling and hopefully enjoy his time. The clarity helps me reevaluate this situation, focus on getting him healthy, and prepare him for next week when he gets to go to school for the first time this year.
Where else can you take a closer look at your expectations? How might clarity help you to reevaluate a disappointing situation and look at it in a new light? Slowing down and questioning what makes us feel a certain way often helps clear things up. Granularity around what you want/ expect/ or need is essential to help you get what you want out of life.
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