I didn't ask what realism was though. I asked you what it meant (for you) to be a realist and what's the relationship a realist has to realism?

You said an optimist accepts realism and a pessimist rejects it. What does a realist do with it?

I think you run into some problems when you divorce expectations from your definitions. It's not just about accepting or rejecting reality. It's to do with how you expect things to go. That said, you said earlier you think optimism blended with realism is the optimal route to happiness. Can you explain why that is?