As a young girl, my dream was to be an actress. I lived, breathed and slept movies and television. Opportunities to take the lead role in the school drama were snapped up eagerly and every Top Drama Student of the Year award I received might as well have been an Academy Award, I was so excited. One crucial part of this dream of fame was my desire to be seated next to Rosie O’Donnell on her now-defunct talk show, shooting Koosh balls into the audience and cracking jokes in a fashion akin to how my friends and I did on the playground. When Rosie’s show ended, my dream shifted to a much-desired appearance on the Oprah show. A little part of my heart hurt when she announced the end of her show this year despite the fact that a healthy dose of realism previously set in and I have long left my dreams of a blockbuster film and, more importantly, the high-profile talk show interviews for it behind. Despite the development of new dreams, there was still a little part of me that was disappointed that there wouldn’t be the opportunity to chat with her about my latest New York Times bestseller. Or even my role as Carrie Bradshaw’s protégé in the sixth Sex and the City film?
Whether dashed childhood daydreams or experiencing being let-down by those closest to you in the moments where you needed them most, disappointment is a hard, harsh reality of life. It happens and will happen. In the face of being disappointed, the only thing we can control is our reaction to it. Will you meet those who have let you down with vengeance or reluctance to forgive? Or will you exercise grace, recognizing that people are not perfect and will disappoint you and be willing to forgive. Will you recognize that more exciting opportunities than the one opportunity you had to forgo are very likely to be waiting around the corner? When it seems as though disappointment is consistently being dealt to you, will you seek out the small rays of light peeking out through the dark, murky clouds.
Having walked through a recent period of time where the amount of disappointment experienced became incredibly overwhelming, I can say that this period does end and how you choose to react makes all the difference in how the situation plays out. While stuck under the cloud of disappointment, it is necessary to remember that, while your feelings and emotions are valid, you cannot exhaust others with your struggle. It’s one thing to lean on someone else for support and another to sprint toward and hurdle your entire body weight on to them unexpectedly.
Disappointment happens. But, luckily it’s not the end of the world. New dreams, new experiences and opportunities are waiting for you! While I may have lost my chance to be on Oprah and there may have been a little part of me that was disappointed, there’s always Ellen!
