There is a particular kind of pleasure in looking at the calendar and seeing something there that makes you smile.

It doesn’t have to be a holiday. It doesn’t even have to involve leaving the house.

It might be lunch with a friend next Tuesday. A new book arriving in the post. A favourite television programme returning. Tickets for a show three months from now. A morning at the beach. A grandchild coming to visit. Or simply knowing that on Friday afternoon you are going to make yourself a cup of tea, ignore the washing and spend an hour doing exactly as you please.

Having something to look forward to adds a little sparkle to the days before it even happens. And I think we sometimes underestimate just how valuable that can be.

The joy begins before we get there

One of the lovely things about anticipation is that we get to enjoy an experience more than once. There is the pleasure of deciding to do something. Then the pleasure of planning it. Then the pleasure of looking forward to it. Then, finally, there is the experience itself.

And afterwards, if all goes well, there are the memories.

That is quite a lot of enjoyment from one lunch.

Of course, anticipation can sometimes get a little out of hand. Anyone who has spent weeks imagining the perfect holiday only to discover that it rains for five days and the charming hotel room is directly above the bins will know that reality doesn't always cooperate.

But that isn't really the point. The point is that having something ahead of us can give our everyday lives a sense of movement. There is something on the horizon. Something to talk about, think about or prepare for. Something that makes this week feel slightly different from the last one.

When the calendar becomes rather empty

During our working years, there was often plenty ahead of us whether we wanted it or not. Meetings. Deadlines. School holidays. Work trips. Family commitments. Appointments. Weekends that seemed to fill themselves before we had even reached Wednesday. Retirement can bring a welcome release from all of that.

At first, an empty diary can feel wonderfully luxurious. And then, sometimes, it can begin to feel a little too empty.

When one day can easily drift into another, having something to look forward to can provide gentle markers in our weeks and months. Not rigid schedules or endless commitments, but little points of interest. They give shape to time.

Monday becomes the day before coffee with Sue. This week becomes the week we are going to the theatre. March becomes the month of the weekend away. Even a fairly ordinary day can feel different when something enjoyable is approaching.

It doesn't have to be a big thing

I think this is where we can sometimes make life unnecessarily difficult for ourselves. When we hear the words something to look forward to, our minds immediately jump to holidays, celebrations and special occasions. But the smaller things often do just as much of the everyday heavy lifting.

A favourite meal planned for Saturday. A new plant for the garden. A walk somewhere you haven't been before. Breakfast at a café instead of at home. Starting a new book. Trying a recipe you spotted in a magazine. Going to the cinema in the middle of the afternoon simply because you can. Calling someone you haven't spoken to for a while. Buying yourself flowers on the way home.

None of these things is particularly extraordinary. That is precisely why they matter.

If we rely only on big events to give us something to anticipate, there can be rather long stretches of ordinary life in between. But when we become good at creating small things to look forward to, those stretches begin to feel much richer.

Put something on the horizon

Sometimes we wait for enjoyable things to appear. We wait to be invited. We wait for someone else to suggest something. We wait until the weather improves, until we have more energy, until somebody is free, until the right opportunity comes along.

And occasionally it does.

But we can also become the person who puts something on the calendar. We can send the message that says, Fancy a coffee next week? We can book the ticket. Choose the day. Make the reservation. Plan the outing. Decide that next Thursday is going to include something we enjoy.

This doesn't mean filling every available space. One of the great pleasures of retirement can be having room to breathe, and I certainly wouldn't advocate replacing the pressures of working life with a diary that requires its own administrative assistant.

But there is a happy middle ground between being relentlessly busy and having nothing much on the horizon.

Have different sizes of things to look forward to

It can be helpful to have a mixture.

Something small this week.

Perhaps coffee somewhere nice, a favourite meal, a walk, a phone call or an afternoon devoted to something you enjoy.

Something a little bigger this month.

A day trip, lunch with friends, a workshop, a show, a visit somewhere new or a gathering at home.

Something further ahead.

A holiday, a family visit, a special event, a project you are excited about or an experience you have always wanted to try.

The further-away things give us a sense of anticipation over time. The smaller things make sure we don't have to wait three months to enjoy ourselves.

Looking forward can be a pleasure in itself

There is something quietly hopeful about anticipation. It reminds us that life isn't only about what is happening today. There are still experiences ahead of us. Conversations we haven't had yet. Places we haven't visited. Things we haven't tried. People we haven't met.

And plenty of cups of coffee we haven't yet drunk……

We don't need a life packed with excitement to feel that there are good things ahead. Sometimes we simply need to be a little more intentional about putting them there.

So perhaps take a look at the next few weeks. Is there something you're genuinely looking forward to?

If there is, enjoy the anticipation.

And if there isn't, perhaps it's time to give yourself something. It doesn't need to be impressive. It just needs to make you smile when you see it on the calendar.

A little something to think about

What could you put on the horizon today?

Choose one small thing to look forward to this week, one thing for the coming month and, if you like, something a little further into the future. Then enjoy looking forward to them.

After all, the pleasure doesn't have to wait until you get there.