Wait, This Isn't A Tree Farm (And Learning to Just Go With It)

So, there was this one time I tried to go to a tree farm with a friend (mostly to take cute tree farm pictures), which didn't make it into my general Currently December post. When we looked it up, we saw that there was a "tree farm" only 30 minutes away. Let me take a moment here to say that some websites are well done and some really creatively taken marketing photos can be DECEIVING.

This was not a tree farm.



Thankfully, toddlers have no idea that the cut-tree-lot next to an adorable farmhouse with chickens is actually a disappointment for the moms who expected rolling hills dotted with live trees.

What's the point of even talking about this ridiculously failed attempt to even go to a tree farm? Because there's something to be said for adapting when your expectations aren't met. Instead of roll our eyes bitterly and ditch that muddy tree lot, we let the kids run around. They did get muddy, they played with sticks, they looked at the random chickens, and they still had fun. Then, we went to an incredible playground nearby, and let them run around some more. The whole time, I had a great time just chatting with my friend, and we both got a good laugh over how our plan kinda failed.

I totally get it that when your expectations aren't met for the bigger things in life that it can be heartbreaking. But for the smaller stuff, the expectations for that perfect holiday dinner that actually burned and made you get take-out? The expectations that the perfect family photos will include on photo of everyone looking happy? The expectations that your friends will automatically know how to be there for you? Let's let that small stuff go, let's just go with it.

During the holidays, it can be easy to get sucked into the pressure for perfect (finding perfect gifts, having the perfect decor, or the perfect fun festive date night, etc.), which makes it easy to be disappointed when things don't go the way we hoped! But instead of really letting it throw you off course, take a deep breath, talk to God about your disappointment, and look around for what's going right. (Like a toddler LOVING some squawking chickens.)

What adventures have you been on recently? Have you ever had something go completely the opposite of your plans?! I want to hear all your funny stories in the comments!