My daughter is running a marathon in Lisbon. Before she arrived in Portugal, she received an email stating there was a problem with her registration. This was somewhat stressful. The email also told her to go to the “solutions desk” to resolve the issue when she arrived.
And so she went. As we watched runners in front of us slowly sort out their registration issues, the thought occurred to me how it’s helpful to anticipate that with any major endeavor we embark upon – a marathon, a new relationship, a project at school or at work – something will go wrong that will require a visit to a “solutions desk.”
To live our lives both anticipating setbacks and the existence of a solutions desk is one way to better manage our emotions and expectations.
After waiting in line, my daughter did receive clearance to go and get her bib for the race. When I circled back near the desk 45 minutes later other runners were in line who needed help.
On Emotions 