Expectation = Disappointment
Bear with me for this post, it follows on from my last post on letting go of expectations and I’m hoping it proves cathartic for me. Recently I upset a friend, I told her the truth about a situation and her reaction was not what I expected, it didn’t fit my framework of how an adult and a friend should react in that particular instance. To be completely honest, her reaction really disappointed me. If you read my last post you’ll be seeing a recurring theme here… I had an expectation, the reality was different and I ended up disappointed.
To say that this interaction has been playing on my mind would be an understatement and it got me thinking what exactly was it about my friend’s reaction that upset me. It wasn’t necessarily the reaction itself, it was more my history with this friend.
Yoga constantly teaches us to be in the present, however in every interaction we have with friends, family and partners we build up an arsenal of past arguments and annoyances. This is something I struggle with quite a bit, I’m still not sure why I’m holding on to this arsenal but encounters like this are a perfect chance for self-enquiry. We are not our past, sure it got us to where we are but we live there. We are not our future, all we are is our present. I know I am not the same person I was 10 years ago, and I’m sure I will be a different person again in another 10 years but I can’t interact like the person I was then or the person I will be in the future, all I can do is be present-day Larah.
I’m definitely not the same person as little Larah :)
The lesson for me from this encounter with my friend is to try and remain present, drop the baggage of past interactions and remember that her reaction is not personal and is likely formed from a whole gamut of things happening in her life.
L xx
The Pollen Path 
Reblogged this on A Charmed Yogi and commented:
If you read my blog, you know that I regularly reblog posts that I find inspiring, poignant and that touch me personally.
I regularly coach my students to let go of expectation during asana, and embrace the process of yoga; to see the poses between poses.
It can be difficult on the mat, and even more difficult off of the mat, but expectation just sets us up for anxiety. No one can predict the future. All we have is now, so embrace now fully.
As the Lululemon Manifesto states, “the pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.”
Beautiful post.