A friend told me once that an expectation is a down payment on a resentment.
I think I expect too much of people.
I never flake. Like, seriously, I basically never flake. If I tell you I’ll do something, I will do it. If I tell you I will come to your party, I’ll be there. I don’t care how tired I am, how much other shit I have to do, how much I’m dreading traffic, whether or not I have anything decent to wear, I will be there. Because I told you I would, and I never want to let my friends down.
When people flake on shit they said they’d do, it makes me fucking crazy. It’s like my number one pet peeve. Especially when they’re people who are really responsible in other aspects of their lives. In fact, in my experience, the people who are hyper-vigilant about their professional lives — who get into work early and stay late and would never dream of flaking on a work commitment — are often the least responsible about their personal lives, and the most likely to let you down. And I think that bothers me even more. Like, your job is really so much more important than your personal relationships? I mean, if you’re thisclose to curing cancer, fine. But if you just work some office job? Then it’s just obnoxious and self-centered. How can you build a friendship that way?
Is this my issue? Do I expect too much from people? Should I feel more comfortable flaking on people? Is this sort of behavior just accepted now? Like, go ahead and say you’ll do something, and then feel free to cancel at the last minute because you no longer feel like doing it?
Thoughts?
