When Cockeyed Optimism Fails

Learning (Again) That Disappointment is an Option

Photo by Daniel Mingook Kim on Unsplash

There are just some uncomfortable truths about adult life. I have been really, really slow at learning these truths.

As a kid, I was perpetually the bright-eyed helper in the classroom, almost primarily out of a sense of utility. I didn’t grow up in an era of “star of the week” or even “line leader,” and I fully lacked the responsible…