Countdowns are something many of us create, either mentally or physically with a calendar, when something really exciting is coming up in the near future. The first day of school, weddings, new jobs, vacations, and other exciting life experiences are something we look forward to very excitedly. Something we often forget to cherish, though, is that feeling of anticipation.

When I was in Peru, some members of my boyfriend’s family came down to visit and get to know the area we were staying in. Before their trip, they had been emailing a priest friend in Peru about their upcoming travel, and ended one email stating how excited they were to come to Peru and that they could hardly wait until the big travel day arrived. The priest responded to this email happily, and closed it with the words “Enjoy the anticipation”. My boyfriend showed me the email, and I was struck by the wisdom of these words.

Enjoy the anticipation.

Oftentimes, we tend to wish away the anticipation. We look forward to an upcoming event so much that we wish time would speed up and the event could arrive right away. Being excited about something is great, but cherishing the time we get to spend being excited about it is just as essential. The time we spend in anticipation of something is one of the most unique periods of time we experience. It is temporary, and there is nothing extraordinarily special going on, but we have this excited feeling about what is to come. We get to live each day with a hope about something that will soon come into our lives, possibly changing it forever.

This waiting time of anticipation is often overlooked. But, how much would we appreciate those big events if we never had to wait for them? If a wedding happened with no preparation, the big day wouldn’t seem nearly as special. It would still be full of joy and love and memories, but there would be a sense of finality and appreciation missing. If you just got dropped on the beach on vacation, your time of waiting would never pay off. Instant gratification takes away the work that is needed to really appreciate something and recognize its importance.

Times of anticipation of anything can be filled with much joy. They can be full of excitement and reminders of the happiness that is to come. If we have to wait in anticipation of something for a long time, the excitement builds, and it normally follows that when it finally arrives, we are even more thankful for it than we would have been had we not waited for it.

Being mindful of the days between excitements makes us even more aware of the joys they can bring. The days we spend in hope can remind us of the exciting things we already have in our lives, and can make us appreciate the long-awaited joys even more.

So, the next time we are awaiting something wonderful, we won’t wish the time between events away; instead, we will appreciate each day and

enjoy the anticipation.