You can't always get what you want

There are times when one wants something very, very much. It seems good, right and almost perfect. And then it doesn't work out. For days, months and sometimes even years, one might wonder why that thing never materialized. And while one will never know the real reason for why, at times G-d in his mercy gives one a glimpse of what would have happened had that thing ever come into being. And then one sighs a deep sigh of relief, counts one's blessings and murmurs to oneself, "That was a close one."

Today I got one of these glimpses into the possible present/future. So now I feel a huge surge of gratitude because:
1. If I got what I wanted then, it more likely than not would've made me very, very miserable. For a very, very long time.
2. I could've been left guessing about "what if" and "if only's" for the rest of my life - but I wasn't. That chapter is closed. I am extremely grateful for the sense of closure.
3. Hopefully, when next time I won't get what I really, really want, remembering this will soften the sting of disappointment.