To expect or not?

I expected...

I think any of our arguments, with anyone, at one point will include the phrase "I expected": I expected you to be different, I expected you to be there, I expected..... the list could go on forever and ever. We live our life's in this constant state of expectation; that tomorrow will be a good day because the sun will shine, that next year will be good because you will have your dream job or that next week things will be sorted because you're going out with your friends. Whatever it is that rocks your boat, we constantly wait for it to be happy.  More than this, we foolish believe that people are mind-readers and know what we expect. I mean, how very dare someone not do things the way we expect them to? After all, we are the shining sun. Oh wait. 

We are educated and brought up in a society that indoctrinates us into believing that happiness comes as a result of having the latest technology, wearing the best brands and having the life that appears to be perfect. We are brought up to chase happiness. What if it is all a waste of time and happiness is really just around the corner? What if we, instead of spending the time of day complaining about whatever it is, stopped and actually appreciated what is around us? What if we simply realised that no one will ever meet your expectations, because they are yours? Then life would be simple, and who wants simplicity? 

If we, for one second, stopped expecting and actually started to live the moment we would be liberated. We would be liberated from the four walls we create around ourselves, the prison cells we lock ourselves in. After-all, if you don't expect, there isn't any room for disappointment. And no, I don't mean to stop caring. We should always care, but we should care to be grateful, to recognise what we have and to learn that if we expect anything from anyone, it can only be of ourselves.