Anticipation is making me ... Happy?

Remember this vintage Heinz Ketchup commercial? It made regular old ketchup sound & look soooo good, didn't it? If anticipation did that for a burger condiment, then I gotta get me some of that! Anticipation that is.

Have you ever noticed that anticipating something is almost as enjoyable (sometimes more so) than the actual event? That's the positive brain at work compounding your measure of pleasure! It works in a parallel vein as our daily 2 minute positive pondering.  The chemistry in our brains reacts nearly the same in recall as does during the actual event; so by pondering and/or recording the best part of your day, you reap double the effect of that positive experience.

Even being mindful in ordinary tasks brings a positivity to any activity. Had you ever really thought about your teeth when you brushed them? When I started in on mine last night, my mind was going a million miles an hour--then I glanced at the mirror and realized, oh, right!  I slowed down, started over and concentrated only about was I was doing in that moment. Heck, I even flossed. :)

If you're willing, let's hear some of these events/dates/tangible goals. Mine? You bet!  A big family trip with my folks. They're celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary later this year and for the first time ever, I get to meet my niece Zoe and we'll ALL be together.  This is posted late due to my mom & I spending 6 hours on the phone and online discussing the myriad of options from plane tickets to transfers.  Are we all booked? NOPE!  We didn't even make any rock solid decisions.  That's OK though, because where we're going and what we're doing isn't half as important as the anticipation of being together.