Musings+

Musings+

Courage packs a question mark

~ expectations can carry old fear, new hope, and more history than evidence

Mark Kolke
Aug 16, 2026
∙ Paid

Some expectations are plans.

Others are old bruises forecasting changes in the weather.

Musings+ is a reader-supported publication; to receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I do this every day, so getting it free is happily offered, but it seems that more ‘paying’ subscribers who pay a fairly priced rate should get more’ - and they do, so PLEASE come over to the paying side. It’s partly about money - time, costs, groceries - but there is a bigger part, an important one: it’s recognition that what I write matters to you, and that you want me to continue sharing it with you every day … Thanks, Mark

Maybe disappointments deserve a vote about our tomorrow.

But not a veto.

Q. - What is this?

A white egg sitting on top of a white table

A - Whatever we want it to be!

At a writers’ conference session called Bring Your Trauma, I expected to learn more about making fictional characters believable. I did.

I also got ambushed by a question about myself: how much of what I call expectation is simply old experience wearing tomorrow’s clothes?

I’ve had expectations all my life.

Some worked. Some collapsed. Some were probably pipedreams wearing business shoes. And some were shaped by something harder to measure: the absence of support, encouragement, or someone saying, “I can see that too.”

So, when expectations arrive now, are they forecasts, hopes, defences, or memories pretending to know the future?

What are yours made of?

I know, it’s not any easy answer to cough up.

Refer a friend

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Mark Kolke.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Mark Kolke & Waterglass Press · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture