Expectations, or the act or state of anticipation of what will happen, is a catch-22 that many seniors will find themselves in as they approach or enter retirement. Making plans is a good idea, but setting goals too high can make it a disappointing and unhappy transition. That brings up anticipation, that is, the act of looking forward to, and especially, pleasurable expectations; visualization of a future event or state. Oh, the future looks so bright for many retirees; it is recommended to bring a flashlight because it may be darker than you think.

Some have suggested that the best solution to a happy and fruitful retirement is to set no goals or plans, nothing; therefore you will succeed by meeting your goal every day in your life. That has a lot of possibilities for many, but it can result in the gathering of a lot of rust on the bucket list. You can follow the advice of Bob Hope, “I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything till noon. That’s when it’s time for my nap.”

Setting a lot of high goals with lots a planning can result in the opposite, that is, disappointment and melancholy woe-is-me ‘why did I retire’, nothing-has-gone-right days of gloom. That does not make a happy withdrawal from the work drudgery by thinking you went and replaced it with retirement drudgery. You know all those things you swear you’re going to do; making a bucket list is where you go to keep track of them all. If you haven’t heard about the bucket list, it is a list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life-experiences you desire to experience before you die.

The easy way out, you can always flip a coin, heads for nothing, or a rusty bucket list; or tails for intricate planning and filling that bucket. The novel,Great Expectations, was written in the first person from the point of view of the orphan, Pip. The novel draws on the experiences of life and people. In this case, great expectations must be written in the form of planning the future of each individual senior, based on experiences and life. Of course, “Retirement is the ugliest word in the language,” said Ernest Hemingway. He kept working and never acknowledged retirement, but many seniors say they are retired but never change and fall into the same habits of working for friends, children, parents, and former work mates. Projects around the house can keep anyone busy 24/7 if they get out of hand. Their future is a hammer or a dust cloth.

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