We've all experienced the surprise, shock, and disappointment of "non-events" - reasonable life expectations that go unfulfilled due to chance, circumstance, or simple quirks of fate. There's the relationship that never blossomed ... the promotion that didn't materialize ... the house, the baby, the dreams ... Plenty of books address how to deal with negative events but none has dealt with how to handle non-events. Until now.In this inspiring, practical, and compassionate book, Nancy K. Schlossberg and Susan Porter Robinson explore the rarely-talked-about but commonly experienced phenomenon of what people face when nothing happened but everything changed. Using examples from hundreds of interviews, the authors describe how to identify a non-event and rise above it - to transform those old dreams into exciting new aspirations. Among the various scenarios examined are the desire for love and family - how to live with the lack of romantic love, the disappointment of infertility, estrangement from siblings and more; the expectation for professional success - how to recast your career goals to accommodate today's radically changed workplace; and the ideal of the perfect self - how to reconcile an unrealistic self-image and find inner peace. Read Less