Expectations

As mentioned, I went on a field trip. And I was not looking forward to it. However, it was fantastic. So much of it was really enjoyable:
-Getting to know class mates and teaching staff. People were nice, and it was fun socialising (and learning names...)
-The beautiful weather. It was mainly warm and sunny, and more importantly, didn't rain. Rain would've been a real downer.
-Exploring tidal areas. We studied the tidal zone (the part from the high to low tide lines). Seaweed was the main focus, but it was pretty neat, and surprising how quickly you learnt the scientific names. I felt a real sense of wonder during most of the experimentation.
-Designing and conducting an experiment. I worked with a girl, Breeze, and we looked at how sedimentation was determined by wave exposure, and how it was affected community composition. Design, testing, analysis, and a formal presentation all happened in two days, so it was occasionally frantic, but really great to be discussing ideas, and feeling like a scientist.
One of the best parts was when I was asked if I'd like to help collect some bull kelp samples at night. It came up quite quickly, and the demonstrator Stacie said that it would be fun, an adventure. The tide was out, and it was dark and still.and exciting.

So, it was a great time, and far better than I was expecting. Which really leads to something I've been thinking about lately - how expectations stack up with reality, and whether it's better to set them high or low. The day before I left, Harriet and I had tea. She was of the school of thought that if you didn't expect much from situations, you would always have your expectations exceeded. I generally disagree. I know what it's like having hopes dashed, but having low expectations would seem to lead to little to look forward to. I know I sometimes have unattainably high expectations, so a degree of realism is necessary.
I'm not sure what the right outlook is. It's probably person specific. I'm sure you know mine - what's yours?