Well, I am a lil' bit down this evening, as is our Miss Ten. We found out today that she did not receive a placement in the public choice middle school she applied for, and her high lottery number assures that a waitlist place will not be forthcoming in the future. It was a longshot, we all knew, but still we did hope as we all felt the school would be a very good fit for her. A first-world problem, I know, I know.
Sigh.
| Noun | 1. | disappointment - a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized; "his hopes were so high he was doomed to disappointment"
dissatisfaction - the feeling of being displeased and discontent; "he was never slow to express his dissatisfaction with the service he received"
frustration, defeat - the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals
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It's interesting to see how Miss Ten deals with disappointments in comparison to my own reactions. She will become somewhat restless, going from place to place in the house, starting projects and not finishing them, irritable and feisty, eventually getting into it with someone over some other topic, venting her frustration. I do the opposite -- my activity level slows to a stop, and I feel like I am wearing a wet wool blanket around the house. I don't want to really interact with anyone when I feel disappointed. This, I feel, is a vast improvement over how I handled these feelings earlier in life, with entirely too much global generalization about the hopelessness of having hope at all. Now I let myself feel the sadness at some kind of reasonable level, and remind myself of the many, many, many times good things I wished for did indeed happen. Tomorrow I will be feeling better, ready to figure out the next step, and ready to try to assist Miss Ten in navigating the swift currents of pre-teen emotions, and the ongoing life saga of 'you can't always get what you want."
I feel like a trip to the art supply store and then Ben & Jerry's might be just the thing for a little Saturday afternoon jaunt.
The Kinks, "Little Miss Queen Of Darkness"
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman