They say it’s the most important meal of the day. But that’s a lot to live up to. Especially for a meal usually consisting of milk poured over frosted candy. For the vast majority of Americans, I would have to say it falls short.

But isn’t that how it usually goes? Setting the highest expectations often leads to disappointment. Soccer fields are full of failed expectations every Saturday morning. No-fault of the child himself, it’s the result of unrealistic anticipation. Maybe the child has no desire for athletics. He wasn’t wired the same way. The parent hasn’t instilled the same drive of the previous generation.

Another prime example is the family vacation. I recently came out of vacation. If I were to be completely honest, it didn’t live up to the experience I had in mind. When looking forward we envision things outside of the confines of time.

Before our vacation, I had the grand idea of spending large amounts of time reading. And even spend time writing. I have two small children and a baby who all demand a fair amount of attention. And for good reason. I want to spend time with them. But juxtaposed against my desire to spend hours of quiet reading was unrealistic.

Instead of the vacation being a time of rest and relaxation, it turned out to be a sort of investment: quality family time.

So, no, it didn’t turn out how I had planned. Instead of framing it as an experience that fell short of my expectations, it became something of its own. And that was even better than what I had anticipated.