Expectations

I feel like this year has been a lesson in expectations. Perhaps it's more accurate to say it has been a series of lessons in not having any.

Expect snow in the winter--because you live in New England--and you'll get a whole lot of days with temperatures in the fifties and occasional rain. But don't rule out getting twenty inches in October.

Expect a February vacation when you've had them for fifteen years, and you'll get a single day off instead.

Expect to enjoy that day as a day of peace and quiet to do some housecleaning and lots of reading, and instead you'll clean to the sounds of construction in the unit below.

Lloyd Dobler (in Say Anything, an all-time favorite movie) said "if you start out depressed everything's kind of a pleasant surprise." I guess something similar can be said for expectations-- if you start out without any, you won't be disappointed.