There is something exciting and filled with childlike magic about anticipation. We learn it from our earliest days. Whether it’s something we plan ourselves or someone else plans, we hear teases and snippets of what’s to come … and we wait. Then, at the end of the wait, the reward comes. To be fair, sometimes the build-up exceeds the result, but often, the anticipated glee ends with laughter and joy.
I’ve been thinking about anticipation this week because my neighborhood best friend is returning to our neighborhood on Friday after summering with her husband in Oregon. I went to visit her there a couple of years ago and helped her pack up their family home to downsize. It was a spectacular working vacation and we spent a little time each day playing while she showed off her town.
This year when they headed north, we headed to Italy. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to that time because not only were we finally taking a long-planned, extended trip to Italy, but we were picking up Enzo when we returned. I spent much of the spring excited and filled with joy at the prospect of those two events.
I barely had time to catch my breath when the grandkids came to visit for a week. What a blast! But their visit was quick and summer returned to our desert home. We settled back into our normal routine, puttered around the house a bit, swam in our pool and generally relaxed. I went back to looking forward to things like Amazon packages arriving and quiet evenings.
I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to wait for something big … like the return of a good friend. I forgot about the excitement that goes with anticipation. I am grateful for the little reminder.
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Looking forward to seeing what’s around the corner is a good reason to smile.
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