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Give Love, Without Expectation
Sharing love freely, with no strings attached.
Love is truly a beautiful thing. In both receiving and giving, the concept is one that all of us desire. However how many of us give of ourselves without expecting something in return? Is love a simple transaction, or should the inner feeling of deep affection be one of a more selfless nature?
I express and receive love in a variety of relationships. Firstly with my partner, followed by my family and then with my friends. In all three of these relationships, it has taken time, effort and a whole lot of energy to maintain and grow. And whilst this process has been wonderful, it’s only up until recently that I’ve come to a better understanding of what love should look like from my end.
For a long time, I used to mentally keep score and tally the good things I’d done for someone else without anything in return. I can’t specifically remember when it started, but I do know that it turned into both a great sense of pride, as well as viewing my relationships in a negative light. The more I gave and expressed love, the more I expected some sort of award, trophy or grand favour in return. This was an extremely unhealthy pattern of behaviour that I found myself in.
In the first two years of my relationship with my partner, this pattern was very…
