In Chapters 20 and 21 of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Pip, after months of preparing and fantasizing about his journey to come, finally arrives at the office of Mr. Jaggers in downtown London. He is quickly disappointed by the crudeness of his guardian’s job, the poverty and dirtiness of London, and the broken-down, musty inn where he is staying.
Similarly, I (as we all have) have had disappointments in my life, the most recent being the injury to my ankle. As you may have noticed from my slightly vague “Ode to Ankles” or even from interacting with me in class, I have severely sprained my ankle. Two weeks ago, I was playing volleyball at a semi-private lesson with my club coach and another player on my team. I, as a setter, don’t get to hit often, so I was excited when I got the chance. I took my approach just like any other approach I’ve ever taken, jumped to hit the ball, and, on landing, completely rolled my right ankle inwardly. I ended up tearing three ligaments in my ankle and hindering my volleyball-playing ability until January, when I hope to be back on the court full-time. Even though six weeks isn’t long in the span of things, I am very disappointed that I don’t get to play. I still go to practices and games, but of course sit on the sidelines. Let me just say, I HATE sitting out. I am a very athletic person and being forced to watch the game I should and want to be able to partake in is excruciating for me. In this way, my disappointment is pretty similar to Pip’s.
In the weeks leading up to the club season, I let my mind wander and dream about the improvements I would make to my game and the fun I would have with my team. Pip, in the months leading up to his journey, fantasized about the luxuries of London and the pile of money he now sits on. In both situations, the setbacks are relatively minor, but are disappointing because we had such high expectations, and we can’t see those portrayed in our life right when we want them to be. Even though now I can focus on strengthening my upper body strength, team support, and knowledge of the game, and I’m sure Pip will still benefit from his experiences in London, the fact that we can’t have necessarily what we wanted right now is hard to swallow. I suppose that’s why disappointment is necessary to growth – it teaches us patience, forces us to persevere, and opens our eyes to other ways of achieving our goals.
Rachel's Reflections 