December 21, 2015: I left a movie theater with a feeling of disappointment. December 21, 2016: I left a movie theater with a feeling of satisfaction. The first movie I watched was "The Force Awakens" and the second film was "Rogue One." Both of them are well-done entries in the Star Wars franchise, and I should have felt good after seeing both of them, but I didn't.

There was a big difference between my previewing experience for each--my expectations. When the first trailers for "Force Awakens" came out, I watched and watched and watched them again. I tracked down international TV-spots, watched clips on YouTube, and extensively studied all of its movie posters. For "Rogue One" I only saw one trailer, because a friend of mine forced me to watch it. Other than that, I did nothing concerning "Rogue One." I ended up avoiding the movie so much, I almost did not watch it (special thanks to my brother for convincing me to see it).

The big difference between my previewing experience for "Force Awakens" was my overblown expectations. I convinced myself I knew so much about this movie that I determined where certain scenes from the trailer would happen, which scenes I knew I would like, and I practically crafted my own plot synopsis of it. Of course "Force Awakens" would have no way of living up to my expectations, and my disappointment was inevitable. Since I had no expectations for "Rogue One," I had a better time with that film, and I left the theater satisfied. For "Rogue One" I gave myself the freedom to be surprised. When you have expectations, any surprise whether good or bad, is jarring and unwanted. A bad surprise that does not meet expectations leads to disappointment and frustration, but a good surprise without any expectations leads to gladness and wonder.

That's how I am going to treat this new year--2017. I don't know what it will bring, I don't know what our country will be like, I don't know what our culture will inspire, and I certainly don't know what's going to happen in "Star Wars Episode VIII." I do know that I am not going to solely depend on trailers, articles full of predictions, or my own suspicions to mold my opinions and feelings of things. This year I am going to remove any unnecessary anticipation from my life and focus my energy on appreciation for the God-given gifts and surprises that come with every new day.

Happy New Year everyone!