Lessons Learned From Disappointment

Disappointment is sort of a unique feeling, or at least I've found it to be such. It has as many "dialects", if you will, that love has (i.e. depends on what elicited it), but at the core is the same overall feeling of .... not regret, but of....failure. It doesn't matter what failed, anything from another person to cookies will still produce that all to familiar result, but with different flavors that leave a slightly different taste in ones mouth, possibly directly correlated to how much of an emotional investment was placed into the subject. Sometimes that taste is bitter, sometimes it's dashed or denial, other times it's moderately expected, and at times it's especially the taste of humbling.

It's that humbling aftershock I believe to be some of the most potent, especially when you don't see it coming (oh heavens, yes, lol). Much like how the tongue feels as a result after eating too much pineapple or one too many habañero peppers, it leaves one feeling vulnerable for a time before the post-traumatic analyses begin to figure out what went wrong and if there's any chance of saving face. Its that post-traumatic analyses I believe to be the pivotal piece to the piece of resolving disappointments aftermath. Without it, one sets themself up for wallowing in self-pity, which we all know is destructive in its own right.

From the most recent disappointment analysis I've conducted on myself, I've come to realize a few things:

1. Sometimes, you just need to fess up that you'd been had. It's hard to admit that either you assumed something that wasn't correct or evident, so stick to the facts (because we all know what happense when you assume).

2. It's okay to hope and have faith in something, but be realistic about it. Although...somethings require a leap of faith and hope...

3. Don't be afraid to call a spade a spade - just make sure you have the evidence to back up your assertion.

4. Move on. I know women especially are devils on harboring ill-will (we want our justice SERVED), but you know what, the sun also rises and that means another day and another clear slate. If one opportunity blows up, it probably wasn't for you anyway, learn why it happened and look forward to the next adventure. Nothing kills me more than we people refuse to try again.

So next time you find your self confronting your garden variety disappointment, don't worry - it's not the end of the world. I promise. Just means you'll have to be smarter for next time.