It’s That Anticipation Time Of Year

With the baseball playoffs in full swing, I have been plagued with anticipation and to some degree it’s annoying. Yet, the fact is, the emotion, if indeed I should call it that, has reared its ugly head and I’m rolling with it.

We all anticipate. It’s part of who we are. Remember as a child anticipating Christmas, or the Easter bunny, a birthday party, or Halloween? I’m sure most of us can remember looking forward to our first trip to Disneyland as well as the first time we took our children there. We carried with us intent and expectations that such a venture would be wonderful, and quite likely it was. On the other hand, what about those annoying moments waiting for a root canal at the dentist’s office or weighing in at the doctor’s? Anticipation takes on new meaning then. I remember anticipating with sheer joy and excitement the birth of my children, although when the time came, I did not expect such pain, at least the first time around. Thank goodness the discomfort didn’t last forever, and the joy of motherhood took precedence.

In a much different scenario, how many times have we waited anxiously for a phone call or message from a new and special someone? Emotions resulting from such anticipation are very different depending on the outcome! As I’ve grown older, I have found myself trying to push away the feeling of anticipation almost as if it were an enemy, for at times it has brought disappointment and frustration. If a person doesn’t look forward to something does that relieve the possibility of regret? Does it eliminate exasperation and disillusionment? I suppose the power of anticipation is in one’s desire, and perhaps even courage, to possess it. It embodies hopes and dreams. It carries too, however, the risk for disappointment, doesn’t it? So, why do we take the chance? Why anticipate at all? Does it make us stronger to weather the storm, to bask in delight if the result is positive, or to buck up and show our toughness if it is not? I really am not sure.

I suppose it might be prudent to ask an expert or two. The Nats, the Dodgers, the Cards, the Giants, and a few other baseball teams quite likely would be able to speak to this issue right about now, and I’m quite certain a great many fans could do so as well. So, here’s to anticipation! Like it or not, it’s going to be around for a while.