Is it bad to expect good things to happen? That sounds silly right? Of course we want to expect positive things to occur in our lives, in our day ahead. Hope is integral to the human condition. But I’ve also found, at least when going about the day-to-day, reducing my expectations enables me to appreciate all of the minute, wonderful things that happen constantly. Making that green light. Enjoying the taste and warmth of your coffee. Having the chance to observe a bird for a moment. There are beautiful, amazing things occurring all the time, every day. Because life is beautiful and amazing. We have to slow down to see it. And we have to alter our perspective to not expect everything to go our way all the time, so that when things do, we can feel true, satisfying gratitude.