Ideally, no ...

Do you know how hard it is for me to temper my expectations?
I'm an idealist. Not a pessimist or optimist or realist. But someone who expects an ideal to happen. And it doesn't always.
​When I signed up to have my sinus surgery three days before Christmas, I was told recovery would be two to three days. Can you guess where this is going?

I went into the holiday week fully expecting to be mostly back to myself by Christmas, when we had family in. Instead, I sat a table a couple times to help direct my husband how to make a certain dish or two, to eat, and then moved back to the recliner or my wedge pillow in bed where I could rest my head again. He did dishes, cooked, did laundry, cleaned, and so many other things. Including making several sides and desserts he'd never done before simply because I had my heart set on them this year.
And it not only lasted through Christmas weekend, but on several days into the next week, too. I finally left the house for a short while one week after my surgery. And it wore me out.
Was our winter break ideal?
It might not have been all I imagined, but I also have a feeling God was reminding me to stop for a while and rest. And I did. Lots of reading happened. And some movies. And extra appreciation grew for my husband who shouldered all my tasks as well as his own during a few weeks when he was supposed to be able to rest, too.
And in those ways, maybe it was ideal.
Have you ever had to stop and refigure your expectations? Have you had a situation help you grow to appreciate your spouse more? Or even just appreciate the ability to get up and do things more?