DAY 251 - CAUSE I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE...

Day 251

On June 23, as soon as I stepped foot on the plane, I was touched and surprised… My brother had reserved tickets for us in first class, which meant being able to lie down (the seats convert into beds), if not sleep (I have a very hard time sleeping on airplanes), during the 7-hour flight that was bringing us across the ocean.  It also meant being treated with special care, having a menu to choose from, being the first off the plane, being asked regularly if you need anything.   How lucky I felt being there!

It made me think about something I had once read. Those experiences are wonderful as long as you don’t start expecting them.  Otherwise, you are doomed to disappointment.  Am I ever going to be able to be happy in economy class, or am I always going to think of how great it was up there in the front of the airplane?  Even my children could become dissatisfied with not being in first class.  As soon as we boarded the plane, my oldest daughter asked me if we were also going to go back home in first class.

When you haven’t experienced something, you can’t miss it or expect it.  Unhappiness often comes when you lose something you had… even if you only had it once!  So learning to lower your expectations and to be grateful for everything you have, no matter what it is, has to become a priority.  If not, you could end up going through life without much joy.  I, for one, know some people like that... they have everything, but they still manage to always be dissatisfied!  When you don't expect much, you can only be happily surprised!

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