Anticipation

Last weekend I went on a surprise trip through the travel company, Pack Up + Go. I was intrigued by this concept when I first heard about it years ago. You provide some parameters, like who’s traveling, when, and for how long, and you answer a questionnaire about interests. Then you wait.

On the day of your trip (I mean, technically you could look earlier but let’s not cheat) you open an envelope and find out where you’re going! Our surprise trip took us to Richmond, Virginia, which is within driving distance of Charlotte but wasn’t on my radar as a potential destination.

This blog post is not about Richmond.

The most notable thing about this experience for me was the anticipation. Merriam Webster defines anticipation as “the act of looking forward.” I love that anticipation is an act, because it does feel energetically alive to me. It feels like a bubbling up.  It travels from my belly up to my heart and throat in waves.

But at the same time, anticipation feels involuntary, like a constant hum of energy flowing in the background all the time.

Anticipation = excitement + waiting

I feel anticipation leading up to any trip. When I know where I’m going, I can look forward to certain specifics, like seeing the beach or eating at a particular restaurant. This experience was different because I didn’t know what to expect. This was anticipation in its most concentrated form. My anticipation had nothing to attach to except the unknown.

Anticipation = not knowing yet

This also caused me to reflect on how infrequently we have to wait to know things these days. How long do we wait between wondering about something and Googling it?  

I have a distinct memory of going on a road trip as a kid and collecting questions. What kind of bird was that? Is that restaurant a chain? And you just had to save them. Until you got home and looked them up in the encyclopedia. Or found someone to ask. With some questions, we just never knew.

The waiting is the hardest part. -Tom Petty

On the morning of our trip, we got a little squirrelly. What does anticipation do?  It builds. Especially for my daughter, Naomi, her anticipation had built to the breaking point and she could not wait any longer. At 7:30 AM she stationed herself on the front porch waiting for our friend and travel companion, Jess, to arrive. At 8 AM we took a walk to burn off some energy.

When you wait, you can play, sing, or imagine anything. - Daniel Tiger

I must confess I was not the most patient waiter either. I used clues to try to deduce where we might be going. They send you a weather forecast one week in advance, and also one day in advance, to help with packing. I looked up the forecasts for no fewer than 10 potential destinations to see if they matched. None of them did.

I also sent the email revealing our destination to my husband ahead of time so he could assure me that we were not, in fact, being sent to our deaths.

There is a lot more I could say about our trip, and maybe I will in a future post. The best parts were the people we met along the way - from old friends to tour guides who were passionate about their city.

For now, I will enjoy being home and wait for the next chance to anticipate a new adventure.

What are you anticipating these days?