Expect the Unexpected .....

Don't count your chickens before they hatch....often said, but what does it imply? It just says “don't expect”. But then again, can we really do it?

“Nothing sets a person up more than having something turn out just the way it's supposed to be , like falling into a Swiss snowdrift and seeing a big dog (nothing less than a cute , fuzzy Saint Bernard of course !!! ) come up with a little cask of brandy around it's neck” - Claud Cockburn (modified …)

Yes, we expect things always to be the way we want them to be and when they don't we are in for disappointment. Life is full of surprises, when we expect, we ruin the fun of having them. We oft anticipate things and feel deceived if they don't happen. What we don't realize is that we had only pictured them in our head and they were nowhere close to reality. And then the real world comes crashing down on us. Our minds are forever focused on planning and anticipating, thus killing the charm and passion of spontaneity.

What I am trying to convey here is not to stop believing, coz without belief, our lives would be difficult to sustain, but I am merely suggesting that we keep our expectations to a bare minimum. It is like hoping for the best and being prepared for the worst. Coz we tend to enjoy those things and moments in our lives which were not planned or rehearsed. There is a factor of uncertainty which brings along with it an element of joy of the unknown. So when we keep our expectations to the minimal, we are able to relish whatever we get. There is a saying in Hindi ( makes more sense with the real words ) but the gist is that, before the right time and before it is destined , we will never get what we deserve ( Waqt se pehle aur kismat se zyada kabhi kisi ko kuch nhi milta ! )

We love to expect, because it probably gives us something to look forward to, but our desires mostly disappoint us. We also get angry and mad when we don't get what we had anticipated. “A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness” - Bernard de Fontenelle


The main issues occur when we over-expect. We start believing that a person will behave in a manner which we feel is right, based on our opinions and values. We want the circumstances should be in our favor and things proceed just the way we had planned them to be, but it rarely happens that way. We waste our todays thinking or fretting about the past or predicting the future , either worrying whether we'll get what we expect and repenting how our plans did'nt work out. There is a power above us who is doing all this thinking for us and it will always be how so ever it was destined to be. A joke goes this way that if you have a plan and want it to fail – tell God!!!!!

He has his own ways and we cannot cross his path. We cannot stop expecting, but the least we can do is start accepting whatever comes our way with an open mind and heart. Coz otherwise we tend to lose even that ‘little something' waiting for 'everything' …..
“If we are to survive on this planet, there must be compromises “- Storm Jameson

These compromises can be of various natures, compromises to the situation, making peace with a person or merely being at par with your own self. We need to build on our will power if we really want to lead a happy and contended life. Coz “better” will always be the enemy of “good”! We have to tailor
our life in such a way so that the suffering, the pain are lessened. There are some things which are beyond our control but the ones we can take charge of, should be dealt with in the best possible manner.


If we come to think of it, “reality” is also a time frame, where we just accept things how they are. We cannot change it or for that matter expect change to happen. Expecting is beautiful coz it takes us to a fantasy world where dreams come true ( where pumpkins turn into carriages and fairy god mothers can set everything right with a swish of their wand !!! ) , but when we are shaken back to reality , we must be able to take it with a brave face.

“Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold” - Maurice Setter
As soon as we start to enjoy each day as it comes, we make our own lives more easier. And we even simplify it for those around, without weighing them down with the burden of our expectations. When we think of it, death exists because we have a life … and though we all know it will come some day (as inevitable as can be!!!), even then we do not expect it. Expectations are flimsy , they break easily like a bubble floating away in the breeze, we don't know when it'll burst , we just can't expect it to carry on like this , just coz we want it to (how so ever pretty it might seem !!! ). Similarly, we can't expect life to be all rosy and fancy; we need to realize there is no expectation without disappointment. So might as well savor the moments as long as they are in front of us; rather than feel doomed when the bubble has burst (literally and figuratively!!! (

Not having to expect is like a blessing as Benjamin Franklin said. Coz we are often unhappy due to our well imagined but failed plans, many of which might have been unreasonable. Since we cannot stop things from happening or in any way alter or control the manner and time at which they happen, so let's grow with it and keep ourselves prepared, prepared for the exclusive gift of life!!!!