The World's Common Tater

via Daily Prompt: Expectation

Along with the weekly photo challenges, there is also a daily one word prompt for writing. I have not participated yet, but I thought expectation and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand, so today I will make a stab at it.

What are your expectations for Valentine’s Day? Is it a big deal to you? Is it just another day? Has it changed over time? Do you feel more strongly about it than your partner? Do you resent the expectations? Do you hate the day because you are single?

This should be a big week of celebrations at my house. My wife’s birthday is February 12. Valentine’s Day is the 14th and then my birthday is the 16th. Because we are an odd couple and the gender roles are swapped a lot in my house, I feel like I get off easy on the holiday. I would like to do do one big night out to celebrate all three events at once. My wife would rather just do something easy and cheap. Last year we went to Qdoba because you get a BOGO entree if you kiss each other after ordering. This year there is a Kentucky basketball game at 7 so we will likely stay home, eat leftovers and watch basketball.  We do simple cards and a small gift and that’s pretty much it. On our birthdays we go out to eat at the restaurant of the birthday person’s choice, but I generally don’t pick where I would really like to go because my family is picky and I don’t want to go where they won’t be happy. So, the week will not really be anything special. We might eat out more than usual, but that’s about it. It does make life easier this time of year when the expectations are lower.

So, is there a point to the above rambling? Not really. I will say that as someone who is likely going through a midlife crisis and feels like he’s in a rut, some higher expectations in all aspects of life would probably be a good thing. Easy isn’t always a good thing. Easy can make you complacent and boring. Easy can make you take things and people for granted. I shouldn’t wait for someone to have higher expectations for me. I need to have higher expectations for myself.