Anticipation: The act of looking forward with pleasurable expectation.
“Are you excited?” my friend asked me, as she knew that I am anticipating an upcoming trip out of the country. I have to say honestly that there is a mixture of pleasurable expectation with the realism of possibilities that the trip may include unexpected challenges. This comes from past experience, I guess. Sickness is one of those. Right now, we are three weeks out of leaving for Europe, and I am sick with a cold. I’m also still recovering from a surgical procedure. And we will be gone an entire month. That feels a little disconcerting for one who is a bit of a homebody. Thus, the thorns in the picture above.
We are not taking this trip as tourists for the most part, but as “pilgrims.” Pilgrimage is an ancient practice, where a person leaves their comfortable home and journeys into “liminal” time and space toward a destination that may have spiritual significance for them. One might call it soul travel. Sometimes things don’t go as expected, and the pilgrim must adjust. Awareness and ‘being present” are an important part of pilgrimage.
I anticipate the journey will be rich, and I will return home with unexpected gifts and deepened perspective on life’s journey.