Anticipation

Surprises are nice, but looking forward to something is half the fun.

For the last month my youngest has been checking off days on a homemade calendar till she could begin opening doors on her Advent calendar to reveal  chocolates. She's got the spirit of the thing, so much so in fact, that a mere 25 days of waiting in high anticipation for Christmas wasn't enough. Today she got her first taste of what was to come, and I enjoyed watching her savor it. But, if this year is anything like previous years, within a few days of  being allowed sweets before breakfast, she'll begin to occasionally miss a day here and there for no reason other than that the novelty has worn off. Anticipation, you see, has a driving force that satisfaction doesn't. Longing for something and working toward it are often more rewarding than finally getting what we want. But sometimes when we wait too long, we lose sight of the goal. That's why setting new ones is important. For her it will be placing a swaddled baby doll in the manger under the tree, and tearing into packages on Christmas morning. For me, among other things, it's launching my second novel sometime in the new year, later than I wanted, but hopefully worth the wait.

What is it you are waiting for?

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