Without Expectations (short)

Act without expectation. (Lao Tzu)

Rev. Hans Peter Meyer

08 Feb 2026 — 1 min read

This is the first of occasional “short” posts that will eventually replace my fading social media postings.

Dear readers,

One of the most useful and practical things I’ve ever done in my life is to love “without expectation.” And to declare, “I love you, without expectations.”

I put the “without expectations” in quotation marks because it’s hard for me to do. But this is my goal, my aspiration: to love without my love carrying cost or anticipation of return. I’ve been practicing this for only a few years. Life (and love, in all forms) has gotten much better.

What do you think?

Is it possible to love without expectations? If you live this way, what have you discovered? If you’ve tried, and it hasn’t worked out, why not?

Please leave a comment on this post. I look forward to hearing from you. No expectations!

-Rev. Hans

A WINTER OF MOURNING

I'm of an age where this is visceral. It's not just something to read on a card. I feel it in my knees and in my heart.

HOW DO I RECEIVE THESE GIFTS?

The most difficult teachers have been my best teachers. The ones I resist, they break me open so that I may learn. And because I am my most difficult and challenging teacher I need an amount (always more than I imagine) of solitude. To sit. With my willfulness. My obstinance. My denial. All of it!

FOR MEN, THIS WINTER

MORE ON WALKING, INTIMACY, WEDDINGS, MARRIAGE, DEATH.

AND THEN, TO PROCEED ON FOOT

Today I know this: I have been called, chosen, and have often turned away from the choosing and the calling. That cost me.

What do you think?

Read more

A WINTER OF MOURNING

HOW DO I RECEIVE THESE GIFTS?

FOR MEN, THIS WINTER

AND THEN, TO PROCEED ON FOOT