(((((Fuzzy))))),

The one thing that I have realized over the years is that when people promise me the world, they are usually just trying to be impressive & make themselves look good until the point they have to deliver on their promise.....then the truth really comes out.

Once I came to realize this, I just blow off those promises right up front & just recognize them as the 'hot air' that they usually are. If for some reason the person really isn't lying about their promise, then I am very pleasantly surprised & they earn a place of respect in my eyes.

That way if they don't follow through with their promise, I am not disappointed because I didn't believe them in the first place & they haven't been given an unearned place of respect before they have actually earned it.

A friend of mine IRL have been talking about this concept of promises lately & have come to the conclusion that people are tending to say things about what they will do more as a niceity than ever really meaning to do what they say. The example in this case was about a family continually telling her that they were going to get together & go to this specific place year after year & they really never even bothered to get together let alone take her to this specific place.

Coming to the conclusion that certain promises are as common place as the greeting "how are you" without really wanting to hear the real answer. Many people do not feel a sense of responsibility to follow through on their promises & the sad thing is that many who make promises don't even realize that what they have said is actually a promise but just empty words thrown out that sound good at the time.

By realizing this, it has also made me all that much more careful in what I say......as I realize that I have to know that I will be able to do something at the time I say it rather than to make a promise that I can't keep. I have found that people don't like the fact that I won't promise certain things, but I find that there are actually a lot less hard feelings by being very careful what I promise & if I do promise something & am not able to follow through, I always let the person know rather than just blow it off & ignore the fact that I ever made the promise.

Sadly IMO, society has changed in some not very good ways & this is just part of that decline in values.

My protection comes in that I initially hear promises as just empty words so the hurt isn't so bad when it really doesn't happen & I'm very excited if for some reason they really meant what they said.