Love - Eliminating Expectations

"Love as though you've never been hurt before."  I mentioned that in my last post.  I want to write about it but I'm stumped.  It seems too  personal.   But here I go.  How many times have I been hurt by loving and losing?  I can remember one which is funny now.  Wasn't at the time, but in retrospect ....Al was a soldier stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia.  He went AWOL riding his motorcycle to my home and asked me to marry him.  I said "Yes."  The next morning he shipped out to Korea without even letting me know!  Found out from his buddy.  I've never figured that one out.  ......Regardless of all the losses, I am beginning, just beginning, to love more freely - without restrictions or demands or expectations.  That's the hard part, eliminating the expectations.  Where do we get the idea that we need, or even want, love from everyone we meet?  What is love, after all?  If we give it freely does it come back that way?  I'm thinking so.  Then the trick is to give love freely and whatever kind we give we get back?  Are we dancing on a tightrope?  Maybe.  For me,  eliminating the expectations is still the kicker.