The Magic of Anticipation (And Our Upcoming Challenge)
When I was young, I remember days of running to the mailbox in expectation of a letter. Sometimes from a friend, a penpal, sometimes my grandmother or the Jack and Jill Magazine(shout out to all the generation xers).
I remember waiting with knots in my stomach to find out Who Shot JR, and what shenanigans Mork from Ork would find.
This weekend, my son binged the entire season of Raising Dion. In one day. A whole season. I was slightly annoyed and could not figure out why.
Over the last couple days, it has settled in my system that while binging a season is satisfying in the moment, there is something lost in that experience.
I think there is some magic in anticipation. In waiting and dreaming of the possibilities as we await the outcome. It’s the beauty of the mailbox, and awaiting a letter. The gift of waiting two weeks for Super Bowl Sunday, and imagining who the winner will be and the touchdowns and tackles. It’s sort of similar to the gift of reading a book BEFORE you watch the movie…allowing the characters to grow and develop in your mind, rather than just placing them in front of you.
In a time where we have immediate access to nearly any information we can wonder about, imagination is necessary. Magic often happens in the unseen places. In the quiet spaces. In the soil and in the soul.
Where can you build a little more anticipation for yourself and those you love?
Here are a few ideas:
read books aloud BEFORE you think about watching the movie
decide to watch one episode each week rather than binging all at once
plant something. Plants don’t care if you’re in a hurry…they take their own sweet time.
watch a butterfly transform from a caterpillar. Talk about magic!!
send letters to people and set up penpals
create a vision/dream board of things you want to do. Talk about them in detail to build the excitement.
keep a family calendar filled with important activities and adventures. Go over it weekly and monthly.
We are offering a workshop on the long lost art of letter writing and would love for you to join us! You’ll receive instructions on how to find penpals, how to write great letters and even receive stationery you can use again and again!
Here’s to waiting and the magic it holds,
Team Gnome