Life Lessons: Expectations

Don't you dislike hearing or seeing those two words: Life Lessons. It almost sends a shudder down your spine. It's like an instant moment of panic and disgust all wrapped up into one, since you know you're about to get a talking-to that you don't want to hear or read about. I'm not a fan of those two words put together either, but in this case, it's so true. Life has taught me a few lessons lately. Well, more like walloped me over the head with them.. but you'll have to find that out for yourself :D

#1 
I'm a fan of some of the movies by M. Night Shyamalan, like The Village, Signs, Lady in the Water, and The Last Airbender. So, when I saw the trailer for his newest 'thriller', I just knew it would have all the classic jump elements, suspense, and surprise twist ending that M. Night has become so very famous for. He always puts a good vs. evil plot line in, and good always wins in the end, the hero saving the day. Now, I never go into a movie blind, so to speak, so I reviewed it first, knowing full well that there were some scary parts, some creepy images, etc. But I was still so excited. I wanted to see it. I wanted to go to the theater and sit there and love the movie. I had expectations. Automatically, I thought by default that it would be like his other movies that I've enjoyed. Relatively tame, with a few "eek!" moments thrown in here and there. Like any good thriller should be. He's practically set the standard in his field, anyway, so I expected that this one would be no different. A few weeks after the movie came out in theaters, I decided to go see it. I arrived, and found that I was the only person in the entire theater! That was going to creep me out. A LOT. But thankfully (or maybe not?) one other person came in and sat in the back. THAT was going to creep me out even more. A lot. Haha. But then the movie started... and I got halfway through it before wishing I'd never come. Wishing I had the courage to just stand up and walk out, not caring how it ended. But I wanted to know! I spent the entire last half of the movie with my hands over my ears and my coat up by my eyes, squinting and seeing blurry images. It. Was. SCARY. Unlike anything I'd ever seen. And I shouldn't have gone. But there I was. My expectations had completely and utterly clouded my good sense. I thought it was going to be like all his other movies. I thought, I thought, I thought. But it wasn't. It was much, much scarier than I was expecting. Did it end well? Of course. Good won out. But... at what cost to me? Life Lesson Learned: Look before you leap. And take a friend.
#2  
Some of my co-workers had been badgering me ALL WEEK, day in and day out, to go with them to hike up The Incline, a 2,000 some steps trail made from old cog railroad ties up the side of a very large mountain. It has a spectacular view of the whole city, and you can even see Kansas from the top, but, I had heard it was a strenuous climb. Hard on your lungs for the climb in elevation, hard on your legs, and emotionally and physically draining. My boss does it sometimes three times a week, which I still cannot fathom to this day how. I'm pretty sure he'll live longer than all of us at the office. He is in SHAPE! But anyway, I personally had never wanted to experience The Incline, because I could understandingly say it looked horrifying and something I'd never even consider undertaking. But the co-workers just wouldn't let up. And they coaxed and prodded and promised me lunch afterwards and said it would be "fun". Then I started feeling like a bad Coloradan, because nearly everyone seems to have done it. Plus, it's great exercise, I'm young, I need exercise, and I could say I'd done it and enjoy the scenery all at once. *Sigh*. And I do so love fresh, forest air. Mmmm. So, I agreed, somewhat belligerently, and woke up at the crack of dawn on a non-work day to drive over there. We arrived (at 8am), just to meet our boss at the bottom on his way down. Yes, he actually enjoys getting up early to exercise :) He was so delighted to see us all there, and so now I HAD to go through with it. LOL. But oh boy... just getting started, and I knew what I had gotten myself into. It is hard, hard, hard climbing. And at some points, almost straight up. Some hikers even wear gloves, for the very purpose of pulling themselves up to the next step. OH wow. As my co-workers went on ahead of me and started getting higher and farther away from me, I was left to the task of motivating myself to take the next and the next and the next steps without wanting to sit right down and ask to be buried there. My whole body was physically exhausted, and I had to reach down to tell myself to keep going. I had my eye on the top of The Incline, like any good and motivated person, telling myself: "Just keep going. Take those next five steps and then catch your breath. Look! You're almost to the top! Almost... to... the...top." The expectation of me getting to the top pushed me on. I forced myself to go on up those stairs in the side of the mountain, gasping for breath, choosing my footing carefully, knowing that I was almost at the top. Unfortunately, my expectations were worse than I had initially thought, as you can see from this picture (note the arrow) of The Incline from the bottom:

That arrow points to what is so fondly termed "The False Summit". Oh yes. The. FALSE. Summit. Aghhhh! Let me tell you, I got there, over that ridge, and saw nothing but more stairs going up, up, up. Oh. I felt so, so defeated. I was already tired and exhausted. My body hurt. I was hot. I was alone. And there was more to go! I was a mere halfway up The Incline, and I had no idea until that moment of coming over what I thought was the top. I had expected that my journey was finally at an end, the joyous moment when I would crest the last step and shout and pump my fist in the air, celebrating my accomplishment. But no. My expectations were as false as that so-called summit. Can you imagine?! Really, can you? It was awful. I couldn't stop. I did NOT want to go back down. I was not quitting. My co-workers were nearly at the top themselves. So what else did I do? Other than exclaim rather loudly "Nooooo!", I had to keep going :) And I did. I pushed myself harder, and made it to the REAL summit. Pictures are forthcoming, but there is a lovely one of me, kissing the top step. SO worth it. Life Lesson Learned: Just like other things in life, like waiting to go to college or thinking you're done with something when you're really not, expectations can be misleading or surprising. Don't let them cripple you. Instead, push forward, push harder, and get. to. the. summit of what God has planned for you!