Really?!

"Love is the spirit of giving with out expecting anything in return". Anonymous

Is that what it is? Because I love. I love deeply and sometimes irrationally. And I have a spirit in it that I cannot even begin to explain. But to not expect that in return would not make me happy and would kill my spirit and I would not love. Because WHAT is love without being loved? How dysfunctional would a relationship be if nothing is expected from the other. Maybe (most likely) I will never ask my 8 year boyfriend to do a single thing for me, but he knows that I expect him to love me and respect me and be as irrational as I am. 

Because all these 8 years with Chris have taught me that there are things to expect from the other person and that is how love is built. When your expectations are met by a person in all levels then you become happier and more connected to that one person.  When there are expectations that are not met, I've noticed that I become doubtful of my relationship. Since Chris is my first boyfriend (and I am his) there have been so many lessons to learn; we didn't have the experience of messing up relationships with other people. We have just learned and moved on and become a very strong unit. 

He knows what makes me happy and I know what makes him happy and we expect to be happy. Forever. When things change and our expectations are changed we will have to communicate in order to travel down the same path but just in a different vehicle.  

Obviously I understand this quote in a more shallow way, like me getting him a little present (which I love to do for all friends) without expecting him (or friends) to get me anything in return. But not for deep and irrational and passionate love to be shared with one person.

I don't buy this quote at all. It's like "The early bird get's the worm" .... well that's nice but not for the worm.