Confessions of a compulsive recommender

I really love a saying, and as soon as a “saying situation” pops up for me, I shout it out loud.

I’ll take the first parking spot I see, three blocks from where I am heading, because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than catching up with a friend over a walk rather than a coffee, as I’ve killed two birds with one stone, and is there anything better than 10,000 steps and socialising? At the same time! 

Back in the day, when I was of the dating (i.e “marriageable”) age, my mother would say her favourite Yiddish saying, Itlekhs tepl gefint zikh zayn dekl which I repeated for years (and still say) as “there’s a teppel for every dekkel”. A lid for every pot. Someone for everyone. Hope for all, so good!

I mean I’m not alone here, right? Who doesn’t love a saying, especially when it can be used in everyday life? 

There is one that I use the most, more than any, my favourite of all: “Plant expectations, reap disappointment.” The premise is simple. When you expect something to be excellent (or delicious, riveting, hilarious or unparalleled) and it’s not, you will inevitably be disappointed. It happens to all of us at one time or another. Some more than others. In every part of life. From the trivial to the serious, from the personal to the generic.

If you’re the type of person who generally has high expectations or if something comes highly recommended, the enjoyment of the experience is at risk.

Let’s start with you. Are you the type of person who generally has high expectations in life?