Everyone experiences disappointment from time to time. How we deal with it, particularly if it’s ongoing, can make or break us and our relationships. Disappointment comes in many shades and textures. It could be something minor like the AirBnB looking infinitely better online than it does in real life. Maybe we experience disappointment when we realize our co-workers don’t take the mission of our work or church as seriously as we do. There’s no shortage of reasons why we might feel disappointed.
Despite its commonality, disappointment looks different on each of us. When I’m in the throes of disappointment, my first response is to eddy around regret. (Why did I choose this AirBnB?) I somehow falsely believe that if I cycle back through the process, the fatal flaw in my logic will appear and I will then be able to avoid making the same mistake ever again. (FYI: this is ridiculous and a waste of time and energy.) My second response tends to be a sort of spine drooping, foot shuffling, mopey form of discouragement. I might spend an hour or a day in this space depending on the magnitude of my disappointment.
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