Today I've been pondering the 80/20 rule. I don't know who made it up, or even where I heard it, but it is the principle that in relationship the best you can hope for is to have 80% of your needs met. The idea is that you can live with 20% crap and be ok.
I think I'm spoiled. I think 80% should be the minimum requirement. Admittedly, I scored in my marriage. I really like my husband (and the 10% of the time that he's driving me nuts doesn't seem to matter much). We have survived a lot together and I cannot imagine not sharing my life with him. I think this is why I have such high expectations in my other relationships.
I want to like my family, work and my friends. I want to enjoy the time spent, feel appreciated and learn in all aspects of my life. These great expectations have lended themselves to a lot of disappointment, and I sometimes think that I expect too much.
But I can't imagine that lowering my expectations would serve me better. Don't things generally live up to your lowest expectations? It is a quandry.
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