Expectation

Amy and Andre came over last night for a couple of hours, and while we were talking, Andre asked how I was enjoying being back.  I said it was great, and he asked what was different this time.

Fair question, I suppose. 

Last time, I expected not to like it here.

I didn't want to move here.  I wanted to be in Arizona.  This was just a bump in the road because there were no jobs available in Tucson.  Someone had told me it was yucky, and that's what I saw once we got here.  A yucky place that wasn't Arizona.

This time, I expect that I will like it here, because I know what to anticipate.

Two words in that sentence are key:  I Know.

I know that there are not-nice areas of town.  I know that the roads will make you seasick.  I know that it can be cold and windy one moment, sunny and warm the next.  I know that my face will be so dry in the winter that my skin will peel off in sheets. I know that there will be things that I won't like about being here.

But I also know that I expect to like it this time, because I can focus on all the good things about living here.

That's the difference- my expectations.