Expectations

"Expectation is the root of all heartache." - William Shakespeare

 "Life is largely a matter of expectation." - Horace

"Life is so contructed, that the event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation" - Charlotte Bronte

"We never live; we are always in the expectation of living." - Voltaire

Expectation - The act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

All relationships have expectations. Most relationships are looking forward and anticipating the future, together, but when partners have different expectations it can be like they're looking forward in different directions, and if they start running in different directions it's going to hurt when either the rubber band snaps and pulls them back or breaks and sets them apart. In most relationships a misunderstanding of expectations can lead to disappointment, anger, frustration and then right to a break-down of communication. Add in polyamorous and BDSM relationships, the expectations of each partner and each relationship adds to the complexity. Thinking of the rubber band analogy, there can be multiple rubber bands being stretched with expectations from multiple partners, or rubber bands around more than just 2 people and balancing the expectations of everyone in the relationship.

 

Is it the more expectations, the more chance for disappointment? What happens when expectations aren't being communicated clearly so the partner can't do what they don't know is expected of them? Is the expectation unrealistic, something unattainable, that the partner can't or won't do? Is an unrealized or unfulfilled expectation the same as a broken promise?