Expectations

I've decided today that having expectations is one of thee most brutal things in the world.

Partly because it is inevitable that when you have expectations, you will be let down - whether by someone else or oneself, and partly because I was fortunate enough to live a small window of my life in which I was able to be expectation-free, and I kid you not, it was one of theeeeee most freeing feeling.

If you write someone a letter, you expect some kind of response...

If you ask someone a question, you expect some sort of an answer...

If you give of your finest gifts, you expect to radiate change in the world in some regard...

When you open the window and share a piece of yourself with someone else, you expect that they would do the same...

When you give it all you've got, you expect to be better than, "just not good enough"...

When you turn on the windshield wipers, you expect your vision to be cleared enough to see...

If you are being punished, you would expect it to one day end...

If you are lost in the middle of the valley, you would expect to eventually find your way...

If the answer to your question is, 'I don't know', you would expect to simply be told so...

When you apply SPF 30 sunscreen every 30 minutes, you would expect to not burn...

When you are humble enough to ask for help, you would expect some level of visible assistance...

When you are falling without a hope in hell in stopping, you would expect a friend to be there...

Among many (!) things that I wish I wouldn't have ruined, is the freedom that came in living expectation free. It was a much less frustrating and hurtful time in which it didn't matter if plans fell through or people did not follow through because there was this realization that ultimately, the only thing that mattered was being able to smile and take life in stride.

Maybe I ought to read, "The Simple Life" again...