Anticipation

One of the reasons that Easter is my favorite holiday is that the fun of anticipation comes both before and after. For many holidays, the best parts are often the days preceding it. For example, Christmas Eve and the holiday season in general can be as exciting as Christmas itself, but then there can be a letdown. One of my relatives cries every year when Christmas is over because she has to wait another 364 days for it. More examples: Memorial and Labor Day have the weekends that come before them, but then you have to get back to work the next day. Some other holidays follow the same pattern. Not Easter.

Easter is different because of what it represents as well as its place in the calendar. Easter is a day of rebirth, of returning from the dead. And because it comes in the spring–also a time of rebirth for plants, flowers, baseball season–it represents the start of a joyous time. And while I very much enjoy Lent and Holy Week, I find myself contemplating on my potential in the days after Easter. Potential for the summer, the next few years, future Easters, and life in general. And in a way, potential is just another word for anticipation because both are forms of focus on future events. So even after Easter, I find myself anticipating something. And I’ll argue here that anticipation is always a good thing.

I am thinking about anticipation/potential because I want to put myself in the best postions possible in life. There is a saying that luck favors the prepared. Luck is just chance, so preparation puts the odds in your favor. If you are of a religious nature, you could say that God–not luck–favors the prepared. That is not to argue that He gives prepared people a better life, but that by doing our share we make ourselves more likely to reach our potential when He gives us the chance to do so. Truly, isn’t it a wonderful feeling when you are ready, and rightly so! When the good things you have anticipated transform into reality, it’s quite nice. Here’s to putting ourselves in the right position for transformation through preparation.

Happy Easter.