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Shelby

Expectations, deliverables, and reality

I almost hesitate to write about this topic because it can come across as whining (which I am DEFINITLY not doing!) but I can't tell you how often it has to be dealt with. And honestly, how important it is for people to understand the issue!


There is often a disconnect between the perspective of the "Home Office" and the hiker. I think in general, the demands of the hike are so significant, so big, that the best way for a hiker to deal with them is to narrowly focus on the microcosm of their hike. To do that, they need to shut out a lot of the noise from the outside world.


What is that noise? Well, a lot of things. It could be financial matters. Pet care. (I wish!) Yard care. Home maintenance. Family and social things. A lot.


I understand this. It really is part of the gig. And I am happy to do it.


But...


Sometimes, when the "Home Office" handles all these things with apparent ease, it can lead to unreasonable expectations on the part of the hiker. From the hiker's perspective, just communicating the things you want or need usually results in you getting those things. And what you don't have to worry about basically doesn't exist, so you don't even think about those things any more.


Now, I know that is not 100% true in Jamie's case, because he is so extraordinarily organized and detail-oriented that he has "pre-worried" most of these things! But that doesn't mean he's focused on them now.


Meanwhile, the Home Office is juggling, balancing, arranging, taking care of everything else. So when the hiker expresses the idea that something being asked is just a little thing, easy to fit in, or otherwise no big deal, there is a risk that the Home Office might (mis)interpret that as indicative of a belief that everything is easy or that you have nothing else going on. And with that comes the risk that the Home Office might get a little annoyed. Maybe a lot annoyed. Theoretically.


Sometimes, the things being asked are actually NOT doable! For example, on the day that you return at 3:00 pm from a week-long trip to help your mom with knee surgery, it might be asking too much to squeeze in an REI run and get a resupply box figured out, packed up, and shipped before the post office closes at 5:00. Possibly.


So, what to do? Well, you just do your best! That's it. Reality.







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