My trip to Boston centered around attending a concert at Tanglewood to hear the masterful John Williams conduct the Boston Pops Orchestra. I scheduled the trip around his performance, paid handsomely for seats close enough to see him in person instead of via screens, and looked forward to the event for months.
But then, he was sick and unable to attend — something I did not know until that evening.
My disappointment overshadowed the rest of the concert. Was it still a gorgeous venue? Yes. Did the orchestra perform magnificently? Yes. Was the music the same as if the Maestro had been there himself? Yes. But my expectations were out of alignment with the reality.
The man is 92 years old so it was not out of the question that he would be unable to conduct on a hot summer night, but I never considered that option. Tanglewood never alluded to that possibility or made any adjustments due to the “main event” being unavailable. It was just assumed that we would all go with the flow.
When you offer something you are not going to deliver, the sooner you notify people the better. It will, of course, be a disappointment, but the advance warning can allow space for expectations to readjust and synch with what reality will be. There’s no hope of adapting when the setback is a surprise.
