As Murray said, life isn’t a cheesy holiday movie. If you’re shooting for perfection, you can end up shooting yourself in the foot.
“I always say that expectations are premeditated resentment,” says marriage counselor and rabbi Shlomo Slatkin. “The less expectations you have, the better.”
It’s not just your relationship you need to be realistic about. “Travel itself is miserable,” Julie Gottman says. “There’s no question about it, don’t expect it to be pleasant.”
By bracing yourself for the worst, you can be ready for the disappointment if things go south.
Ahead of your trip, go over the pain points together: packing, cleaning, traffic, lines, prices, delays and other people. Go with the flow, and take each moment as it comes. Tense moments will pass. “If you can live in the present, [you can say] ‘Okay, at this moment, things are stressful. The next moment things could be relaxed and calm,’” Slatkin says.
“I always say that expectations are premeditated resentment.”
— Marriage counselor and rabbi Shlomo Slatkin
