What do you expect from life?
Posted on Aug 11th, 2009
by
Farland
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for August 11, 2009:
I don't like that word alone or with any of its suffixes or even the way it rolls off the tongue it doesn't even roll it spits out.

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Yes, expecting things of life is what gets us into all kinds of trouble and suffering, as the Buddhists would say.
I went to go look for the opposite of 'expect' and found out it was something no less pleasant, like 'to lose faith in' or 'to despair of.' We need a new language I think.
“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” - Alice Walker
Except if you expect nothing the surprise you live on will be far from frugal.
content …suffice….now. I expect a lot, but I'm glad that my expectations don't get in the way of having fun. btw…nice seeing you farland fish. you made me smile for the birdy
The word that particularly gives me shivers and which I am trying my best to excise from my thinking is “should”. Ick!
Siona - it's 4 am -ish and I'm trying to catch up on things I've missed and I'm just wondering…about that alice walker quote…how can you be surprised at all if you had no expectations to start with? Wouldn't it all be just what it is? And I think it's odd how “expect” and “accept” kind of feel the same in the mouth. I think they should be more different. I'm all for inventing a new language, and maybe a pictographic alphabet system for it.
Farland, that bird is perfect. Just perfect. I love the direct gaze.