I recently began thinking about how often we ask for something. We may even ask for, pray for, hope for, or even wish upon something outside of ourselves, to help us “get” it. Yet, ironically, when we actually “get” what we want, is it always in our best interest? When what we ask for doesn’t arrive, perhaps, that is what’s in our highest interest? Perhaps “not getting” what we ask for, is the best thing for us.

Similarly, I often stories from those who have idealized, romanticized, or wished upon something, to then be disappointed when it arrived. Ironically, it is not that the desired outcome was actually a true disappointment. Its just that that didn’t “match” the original fantasy or idealized image of it. Whether it was that the relationship didn’t “look like I thought it would be,” or that experience “wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be,” it all comes down to expectations.

The bottom line is that our expectations often do not meet reality willingly. And, when we are focused on the struggle of not getting what we “want,” or what it “should look like,” we forget that not getting it, may really be in our best interest. In the big picture, perhaps it opens up wider possibilities than we originally asked for. And for that to happen, we must be willing to allow things just to unfold.