The Rule of Low Expectations

The Rule of Low Expectations is a valuable lesson I’ve learned over my life.  Where others are concerned, expect little – not little by way of honesty and integrity, but in terms of performance.  It is not their job to meet my unreasonable expectations any more than it is my job to meet theirs.

The Rule of Low Expectations is all about Acceptance with Grace. It’s about loving people for who they are and where they are in their lives, extending grace in their griefs, weaknesses, and struggles, as well as their victories, and simply accepting them.

Setting high expectations, especially when others are struggling, is setting them and ourselves up for failure and disappointment.  From those nasty things come anger and animosity.

But the Rule of Low Expectations opens the door to delightful surprise!  Take this Christmas as an example.  My highest expectation was that I would spend the holiday weekend working on plumbing for my home remodel.  And I would have been absolutely content if that had consumed the entire time.  So imagine my delight when my ‘other parents’, Barbara and Berne Mesman, and my ‘big sis’ Michelle Michaelis and her husband Rick, informed me that they were spending Christmas just a few miles from me.  What started as an impromptu visit with the dearest of people turned into one of the loveliest and most loving Christmas Eve’s I’ve had in years!  Or when a drive-by-hugging turned into a quiet tea time with my most precious friend Patsy.  Or, when an informal, hastily organized family get-together turned into a wonderful time of laughter, tears, stories, and hugs with my wonderful Bright family.

All expectations blown out of the water, and I didn’t get a single minute of plumbing done and that’s just fine.

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