Expectation vs Reality

Recently, I had a wonderful opportunity to visit my dream holiday place. My number 1 on my bucket list of all time places I have ever wanted to visit…… IRELAND 🇮🇪. Before I left for Ireland, I created a bucket list of things to see , to do, to try and to eat while there. While organising my bucket list, I mistakenly started to create a high expectation in my head about what Ireland was going to be like. This was a very silly thing for me to do (what do they say about meeting your idols and how the reality never lives up to your expectations.) Luckily for me, my reality and experience of Ireland surpassed any expectations that I had. It really was a magical place.

But during my time in Ireland, I fell in love with the romantic notion of working and living there for a year. I could easily picture myself walking through the old historic Dublin streets in the rain after a long day at work heading home on a late winter’s afternoon. I would be wearing my lovely warm overcoat over my blue Trinity College jumper and jeans along with my warm woollen gloves and of course with my pink hat/beanie proudly on my head. Along the way, I would stop at one of the many very fine Irish establishments that are scattered around the place for a hearty Beef and Guinness Irish stew and a refreshing drink as I sit by a nearby crackling fireplace warming up while I listen to the Irish music being played before stepping back out onto the now dimly lit streets to continue on my journey. Even now as I imagine this scene in my head, it sends my mind into pure dreamy bliss. It feels like it would be something like an old time movie scene.

But the simple reality of trying to live out this romantic daydream, as an everyday occurrence is that I just could not possibly do it every single day. Its repetitiveness would simply be creating an ”It’s groundhog day….again” scenario for me and provide me with another boring rut to get stuck in. Not to mention just how angry my wallet would become as well as its effect on my waistline if I did this every day. However, living that dream in Ireland is still incredibly alluring and would be an amazing adventure to have. Hopefully one day I will get to live out that dream.

As for the expectations of my journeys and adventures in Shanghai, I am trying not to allow myself to have or create any expectations about the things I will do and see there. My reasoning for having very little or low expectations is that it will allow my reality of the journey not to be tainted by the falsehoods of my dreamy expectations. Therefore allowing me to really enjoy living in the moment of the adventure.

However, in the time being the planning of this great journey continues on. I hope you all enjoy reading the adventures to come.