Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Disappointment?

Twitter talk this week regarding the Disneyland Half Meetup made my heart skip a beat more than a time or two! Not only did I refresh the Disney Parks Blog occasionally…OK, constantly….I also had runDisney twitter notifications set to pop up as a text on my phone. I even woke up a few times last night and checked the blog each time (just incase)!

At 2:09 this afternoon (I saw someone say it was actually 2:08:55), runDisney sent out a tweet saying their Disneyland Half Meetup blog post was live.

As soon as I saw the tweet, I stopped what I was doing, scanned the blog post as fast as possible (to make sure there weren’t any additions or changes from prior instructions), then hit “send” on the email that waited patiently in the drafts folder for several weeks.

Then……the waiting game began. My heart was racing so fast I just knew it would beat right out of my chest. My stomach was in knots. I couldn’t concentrate. Did my email make it in enough time? I checked the “sent” folder numerous times to make sure the email sent properly.

As I drove home this afternoon, the anticipation and excitement of the whole day was almost too much to contain. I couldn’t look at my phone – didn’t want to check my email until I was in the safety and security of my home (incase bad news was in store).

My husband was cooking dinner and my dogs greeted me as I walked in the back door. What would my inbox contain? In the back of my mind, I kept reminding myself that it might NOT be good news….even so, I couldn’t help but get my hopes up (it was really hard not to)!

My husband looked over my shoulder as I opened the list of names….

Was my name listed?

Wait…what?

I scanned the names a 2nd time…and a 3rd time….

Bummer.

Unfortunately, my name was not on the list.

After texting several friends to let them know the news, I sat in silence for a few moments as the realization sunk in.

It was in that silence that something hit me. I looked around my surroundings and saw my awesome husband in the kitchen cooking dinner. I noticed my sweet Yorkie sitting on my lap with expectant eyes which seemed to say, “You look sad, but I love you anyway”. I also spotted my cocker spaniel sitting patiently at my feet vying for my attention. Then, I thought about a friend’s husband who is injured and doesn’t know if he will be able to run his “bucket list” race this Fall. I thought about a fellow blogger who is going through a tough time with her family. I really stopped and realized…not getting into this meetup is NOT the end of the world. Yes, it was disappointing….but we weren’t promised a life without disappointments. Everything cannot go your way ALL of the time. Life will go on, the meetup with happen, everyone who attends will have a fabulous time (and I’ll enjoy following along on their journey). My vacation and birthday week will be an incredibly fabulous week, meetup or not! 

Sometimes, it takes disappointment (in ANY area of life….a big event, a test, relationships…you getting me here?) to really put it all into perspective and help us remember to be appreciative of everything we DO have. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling incredibly blessed right now!

Congratulations to everyone who got into the meetup! I can’t wait to follow along via social media! :0)

24 comments:

  1. I LOVE THIS POST! I had the same EXACT realization today.

    I'm so sorry you didn't get into this meet-up, but you are definitely extremely blessed!

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    1. Thanks, Abby! Sometimes it takes little things to remind us how blessed we really are! :0)

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  2. I didn't get in either. I'm not horribly disappointed. Their system seems very slanted toward people who can dedicate several days to chasing the post at the expense of everything else. It seems almost predatory. Don't feel bad. On the continuum of things in life to get upset about, this really doesn't even rate. It's like the store being out of the shirt you want in your size. You just come up with an alternative. What we build up in our minds with these things rarely matches the reality anyway.

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    1. You are exactly right...that's a great point!!

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  3. I absolutely love this post. Sometimes it takes something small to remind us of what's important in life. I'm super bummed you didn't make it into the meet up - but I know you are going to have a BLAST in Disneyland!!! Enjoy every minute :)

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  4. I'm sorry you didn't make it in. What a great way to put it in perspective, but that's still a huge disappointment. I feel for you!

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    1. Thanks so much! It definitely was a huge disappointment but it's ok! :0) Thank you!

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  5. Great perspective. I'm certainly not a fan of their process for this. They've made it the Golden Ticket event yet most people can't drop what they're doing to submit the email, and rD doesn't weed out the repeat entries for each race weekend.

    That being said, I think the main attraction is the race. Good luck!

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    1. I agree, it's hard to drop everything at that given moment. I was amazed at how fast it filled up! You are right, the main attraction is the race!

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  6. So impressed with your attitude and maturity! A lot of people could learn from this post.

    WOOHOO Expo Line Party! :) -Christine

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    1. Yeah!!!! Expo line party sounds like the place to be! Can't wait! (And thank you, Christine!) :0)

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  7. In the same boat with ya and we've discussed our feelings...we're still going to have an awesome time :)

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    1. Oh yeah we are going to have a blast! It definitely helps knowing that others are in the same boat! :0)

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  8. I love this as well! I hope and have my fingers crossed that some day I too will get to do a runDisney meet up run!

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  9. Argh, sorry you didn't get in, Karen! I was hoping to have an opportunity to meet you! This will be my first meet-up, and I'm thinking it really is just dumb luck...I think I got my e-mail in just a minute or two after the tweet posted. But I love this post...you're so right. It's so easy to get swept up in something like this and then forget about all the ways in which we really are blessed. Hope to see you in DL -- it's going to be a BLAST! :-D

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    1. Congrats!!! I'm excited for you and can't wait to read your recap! :0) Thank you...there were SO many people sending out emails all at the same time, it's amazing we didn't crash their system! Haha!

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  10. I feel ya - I experienced the same sadness when I realized too late that I wanted to run the Disneyland Half itself and registration was already sold out. But now I'm excited for the Tinker Bell Half! I'm sure your time will come. :)

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    1. Ugh yes that's awful! It sold out SO fast! Tinkerbell is going to be such a fun race! I know you're going to have a blast!! :0)

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  11. I know a lot of running friends were watching for the runDisney post, and I know it would have meant a lot to you to get in. I hope you're able to create a Disney experience and have a wonderful race that are just as meaningful!

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    1. Thanks, Katherine! I know I will! :0) I was excited to see Fred's name on the list! He's going to have a great time!!

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  12. This was exactly my day - the excitement, the anticipation (my hands were literally shaking after I sent in my email) and then the disappointment when my name wasn't on the list. And then the realization that there are so many things to be happy about and life will go on.

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    1. Yes...sad day, sad times. Ah well. Crossing my fingers for Princess now! :0)

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