Not What You Expected!

Expectations can be slippery beasts.

On one hand, it's good to have at least some expectations of people and situations... on the other, expectations almost invariably lead to disappointment.

I think back across the years I've spent on this planet, it often feels like the majority of the people I have encountered have ended up being not as expected in some way, and typically not on the positive side of the equation.

It's not easy to pinpoint exactly how, but much of the time it has to do with their not actually being the person they held forth to be.

And that's part of the problem, isn't it?

We all feel compelled to wear various "masks" over our authentic selves... well, most people do. It's almost like a psychological "dress to impress," except the outcome is seldom very happy... we end up disappointed when we discover that a friend or lover is not at all who they held forth to be, and we end up feeling betrayed and disappointed.

As often as not, the reason I end up feeling disappointed is that the person who "unmasked" didn't feel good enough about themselves to just be who they actually are.

I do understand the insecurities we can experience, but I would rather be liked/disliked for the real me than for some fabrication I built.

A friend — who also happens to be a psychiatrist and therapist — once told me that authenticity takes more courage than most people have, particularly in their younger years. And I'd have to say that it is true... the older I've gotten, the less I care about hiding behind a facade of some kind.

Of course, it's not just people that can be disappointing.

I find that so much advertising is basically a lie. You think you're getting this great thing... and it turns out to be not at all what we expected.

Small wonder people get cynical when they get older.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great remainder of your week!

How about YOU? Have you ever felt like "new and improved" things actually are not? Do we have too many choices most people don't care about? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2026.03.05 01:13 PST
x1052/2286