Let’s get one thing settled from the start. According to the answers I received this week, can you guess which treat was mentioned most often as disappointment comfort food?
Ice cream.
I am happy to launch the first post in a new blog feature called “The Best Five Answers.” Each week (for now) I plan to ask a question and seek answers from friends, students, blog readers, strangers, and anyone else who is interested in chiming in. Then I will choose the best five answers and publish them on the blog.
If you would like to participate, please see next week’s question at the end of this post.
The first question in the series was, “What is the best way you have found to handle 
disappointment?”
I loved the answers I received, and many of them made me rethink my own behavior in the face of disappointment. Here are the Best Five Answers:
5. “I remember that I don’t ‘deserve’ anything. Everything in life is a gift, even just the fleeting chances.”
–Charles Crowley
4. “The best way I have found of handling disappointment is to journal. When I’m really disappointed I don’t like to talk about my feelings, but journaling seems to help me make sense of things and process what happens. It’s like a silent prayer and helps bring healing.”
–Alyssa Martin
3. “I handle disappointment by praying about it and talking it out with those around me that I consider my support team. Disappointments are always difficult to take in the moment and I need to express that to someone to avoid inner build-up, but in the long run what I often find is that God had some other plan for me. That plan is usually considerably better, so when faced with situations where things go awry I try to remind myself of all my good ‘disappointments.’”
–Anna Christensen
2. “The best way I have found of handling disappointment is not to dwell on it and to accept that there are events in this world that I can’t control. Letting disappointment engulf your thoughts ruins your ability to enjoy the next thing life throws at you. I’ve endured the most extreme disappointments and I’m probably the happiest person you’ll ever meet.”
–Karly Adair
1. “Throw a short pity party for myself, eat something sinful, and then give thanks for the blessings that I have. Even with big disappointments, my glass is still way over 50% full.”
–Kenneth Litwak
Thanks to all who responded and to my Facebook friend Dennis Skarvan, who alerted me to the photo of Cape Disappointment, in Washington.
Now I invite you to respond to the question for next week:
What time period do you wish you had been born in, and why?
Comments 8
I wish I was born in the early 1850’s so that I could meet Simon & Garfunkel during the 60’s while they were still together.
Author
I’m assuming you mean 1950’s?
I actually loved growing up when I did. But I wish my kids could grow up then too in some ways. I’d like them to enjoy the simpler times in some ways, better music, & less sexualized surroundings.
I wish I was born 18 years ago – 1995! – so that I would know how to work all this confounded technology -.so I could hulu and twitter and be smarter than my phone – but I’d miss the old English.
While I am friends with my adult kids now, I am still a parent. I would like to be born when my kids were born so that I could be friends with them growing up.
I am content where I am because of our modern amenities, technology, and leisure time. However, I miss the high education standards of years prior as well as the focus on Greek, Latin, and Classical writers. If I could choose my class, I would be a wealthy noble during the time of Shakespeare.
This is a very difficult question for me to answer because I struggle with firstly choosing the place in which I would be growing up, and secondly, the time period. If I restrict myself to being born in America, I think I would like to be born before the Revolutionary War in the 1700’s, and be old enough to understand what a significant thing was happening during the time the war broke out. I find the Revolutionary War period fascinating and the bravery of the people who stood up for what they believe in is quite heroic. I have always found politics very interesting, and there is nothing more interesting than watching a nation break apart from a monarchy and start anew with principles that reflect the values of the forefathers.
I love the time period I was born into! I think If I could I would have loved to grow up during the 1950-1960 because of the culture and the way people dressed it seemed like an interesting time to grow up in and experience!