Rant 2023-Expectations and such

We live life with so many expectations. We have expectations of ourselves, our loved ones, our job, pets...literally everyone and everything. Even if we actively try not to expect anything, we at minimum have a general expectation for things like common (seemingly uncommon lately) courtesy, manners and such. What is sooooo unfortunate though is the fact that there is only 1 YOU and no one else is going to be able to act exactly how you want or expect, because a) They aren't mind readers and b)sometimes people just suck.

There are endless examples of how we "expect" each day. We expect to be treated with kindness and respect. We expect to be able to rely on our loved ones. We expect our car to start. We expect our dog to pee when we take them out. We expect the darn toilet to flush. We expect a LOT. It is human nature to expect.

Maybe we shouldn't expect anything ever, but we deserve goodness. We deserve to be able to have some basic expectations in life and not be totally let down and exhausted by reality every single freaking day! 

What happened to "Do unto others" and basic principles of being a good human? Where did everyone's work ethic go? Why are people so lazy and why does no one hold them accountable? Why are we raising children to interact with smartphones instead of real-life-humans?! Why, why, WHY? 

I expect very little, yet I am constantly disappointed. Maybe it's me. Maybe having a baseline of expectation for people isn't realistic anymore. WHY DOES NO ONE SEEM TO CARE THAT THE WORLD IS IN A TOTAL MESS?!  Why are we giving out gold stars for simply showing up to work? BE BETTER!

I worry that we are raising children to have no expectations of themselves...to simply exist.

It's ok to acknowledge a child's exemplary work. It's ok to win, OR to lose. It's ok to tell a person when they are doing something wrong and show them how to do it better. It's ok to make the team, or not make the team. There is growth in the uncomfortable! Stop trying to only exist in comfort! When did we start being so scared to tell a person that quelle surprise-they aren't perfect?! 

Make good eye contact (if you are able), have manners, be punctual, don't look at your phone when in a real-life conversation, hold doors for people, say "Please" and also "Thank you"....bring back "common" courtesies. Maybe you don't have to go so far as to iron your clothes, but don't wear shorty-shorts and a bra for a job interview! Have some respect for the interviewer and for yourself! Be on time for work, appointments, class, friends....just be on time. It's a sign that you respect the other person. Time is precious. Act like it! Accept responsibility when you're wrong. Don't play the blame game-just own it! Be honest, even when it hurts. That way you won't have to remember the lies. Be decent. That's all. Not the most kind, or the nicest even. Just decent will do! Do you know how hard it is to even find decent these days?! How sad is that?!

After all that, the moral is-having some expectations is probably healthy, but definitely, most certainly, expect to be disappointed. Don't lower your expectations and settle though...just expect the crap with the good and go from there.