Anticipation & Expectation

Anticipation is about excitement and suspense. Expectation is about assumption. 

I've been pondering both these last few days. It has all been in the context of Christmas celebration. This year, I have had the pleasure of experiencing two very distinct things, of which I would categorize one as anticipation and the other as expectation. 

Now, I don't see anything inherently wrong with either, nor do I see one as superior to the other. 

But I've come to some realizations about both. In particular, the relationship between both and the way we are each wired as individuals. 

Anticipation is an exhilarating thing! It's the sense that you don't know exactly what will happen, but you know it will exceed your imagination and hopes. Anticipation is beautiful because it contains all the newness found in a first. A first love, a first kiss, a first Christmas, a first playing your instrument on the big stage. 

I love the naivety found in pure anticipation. You know just enough about what's to come to know what may come, but you know little enough to have defined expectations about what exactly will transpire. 

And, truth be told, if you did know more, you either wouldn't have the capacity to handle it all just yet, or you just may not have the imagination to be able to predict how everything will transpire. 

It's beautiful. It's pure. It's raw. And you can't fake it, nor can you qualify it. Anticipation is a pure joy that is mostly blind to what's to come, but has a sense of knowing it will be exhilarating. For better or for worse. For pure joy or sheer terror.  

Moments of anticipation eventually turn in to expectation. 

Expectation is what you sense when you've already been there once and you're coming back around again. 

It's like riding that massive roller coaster for the first time. There is a sense of sheer terror the first time -- anticipation. But one you've done it once or twice, you can expect, almost predict the outcome. 

This is actually a stabilizing thing for many people. But I am beginning to see some of the unhealthiness in it. 

You see, when we grow too accustomed to something, we can run the risk of thinking flippantly about it. And even worse, we can fall prey to becoming analytical, skeptical reviewers who see ourselves as the expert who knows how it's suppose to go.  We've then moved away from active participant and moved into the seat of reviewer and consumer.