Anticipation may be the best part

“Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.” The quote is attributed to Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables. If I ever read the book it was so long ago that I don’t remember it. But I firmly believe in the power of her statement.
I have been looking forward to several things lately. A distant relative sent me an e-mail inviting my husband and me to a small family gathering. Even though we seldom take the time to get together it is always a good visit.
We hadn’t seen each other in decades until I started a genealogy project and we had a family reunion. Now we try to get together once or twice a year. We catch up on news and talk long into the evening. The anticipation is as much a part of the fun as the actual visit. An added plus is that I always pick up a little tidbit or two that adds to the shared family lore.
I think anticipation is a great part of life. I look forward to many things such as the leaves turning color in the fall, the first snow in the winter and the first crocus in the spring. The changing seasons give us all something to look forward to and remind us to cherish what we have as there is no guarantee that the wonderful weather we have today will be there tomorrow.
It also reminds us that no matter how bad today may be, there is a chance that tomorrow will be so wonderful as to take our breath away. It is preferable to look forward to tomorrow with expectation rather than dread.
Anticipation is fill with uncertainty as well as unlimited possibility. That uncertainty is part of what makes it so delicious. Will the joy we anticipate materialize or will it be a total disaster that we will laugh about later? Whatever transpires, it will seldom play out exactly as we have planned. A family member may be dealing with a serious illness, an expected beautiful day will turn out to be cold and rainy, or someone may tell a story so funny that it makes us choke with laughter. One never knows.
Anticipation is what fills the stadiums at sporting events. There is the possibility that today the favorite team, player, driver or horse will win. There is also the possibility that they won’t.
The anticipation of a good contest and that this time will be different is one of the main reasons that people keep coming back.
We all need something to look forward to. It may be a family visit, a new plant that is going to bloom for the first time, that this year will produce a bumper crop or that the winning lottery ticket is in your hand. Life is filled with little bonuses that keep us looking forward with hope and expectation.
One of the reasons that we make plans is so that we will have something to look forward to. We cherish the anticipation that brings light to our eyes and hope to our souls.
Past experience tells us that whatever we are anticipating will bring pleasure and happiness but there are no guarantees.
Sometimes the anticipation itself is the best part. Sometimes whatever we are looking forward to is even better than expected. One never knows.[[In-content Ad]]