Expectations

Recently there was a discussion with a friend about purchasing a new stereo which didn't complete work. (Wait for it, there is a point to this)

I related I found the new stereo had a remote. I didn't need a remote, but I put batteries in and pointed it at the black metal box and hit the power on.

Nothing happened.

I tried different angles, checked the batteries and pointed it back to the connection area on the front.

Nothing happened.

I physically pressed the power button on the front of the box and it powered up. I turned it back off, picked up the remote and tried again.

Nothing happened.

Now, it was time to open the instruct manual and check the English version of what I was to do to make the remote work. Then I went online and checked the site for FAQ on problems with remotes.

Nothing happened.

I hooked up the stereo to the speaker wires and plugged in the turntable (which is why I bought the silly thing in the first place, to listen to vinyls) and placed it on a shelf, three feet away from where I would sit. I put the remote next to it and haven't tried to us it since.

My friend said he would have taken it back to get a new unit or a repair or some sort of dispensation.

I grinned and said it wasn't worth it. I had purchased other entertainment equipment at this store and none of them lasted long. The stereo did what I wanted without the remote, so I didn't bother.

He said, "As long as it met your expectations."

It's a funny word, expectation. We expect for products we purchase to work and when we don't we get upset, stress about a refund or a replacement, search for the receipt and spend hours loading the product back to the store and waiting for return policy speech by a high school drop out.

If this unit had been a major purchase, I may have traveled a different path, but if in the big scheme of things it was not worth the struggle.

In a bigger picture, do we expect our marriage to last til death do us part, expect our children to grow up bright and healthy and prosperous, expect others to treat us as we treat them, and expect life to be fair.

Expectations keep us reaching for that golden ring, but many influences alter the results.

So realistic expectations my redirect us into new understandings what is possible or limit our anticipation of the unknown.

What a bunch of hooey!

What did you expect.