The real wisdom here isn't about settling for scraps—it's about the mental space we create when we stop auditioning life for worthiness. A person who expects nothing arrives at each day with their perceptual equipment uncluttered, spotting the small mercies that the perpetually disappointed walk right past: a stranger's genuine laugh, an unexpected competence in their own hands, the way morning light actually behaves. When you're not busy cataloging what *should* be happening, you're free to register what *is* happening, which turns out to be far more generous than anticipation ever allowed. Watch someone working a job they never dreamed of and you'll notice they often find more satisfaction in it than the person at the dream job, still measuring it against some imagined perfection.