Did some of you read the title and hear the song “Anticipation” by Carly Simon in your head? Good!
Hey, there! TGIF. Friday evening. I have good stuff on the stove (don’t all fall down in amazement at the same time!). The dog is on day 36 after our being told she was ‘dying’ (maybe she is, but not today!) AND, big AND, I have something to look forward to!
My friend and I have reservations for hot air ballooning! I am excited!
I had been feeling a little bland. Same old, same old. No pizazz, no zest. And, yes, I know I have nothing to complain about because I have a great life, but just the same, even a great life can get a little flavorless.
Then this opportunity came about and we jumped on it. Something to look forward to!
It got me thinking about anticipation, thinking about happiness. Some of the most fun I have ever had has been planning and looking forward to all sorts of experiences. Anticipation can be fun!
I found a post online by Gretchen Rubin. She is reported to be a happiness guru and bestselling author but I never heard of her before. (Sorry, Gretchen. Pardon my ignorance.) Be that as it may, Gretchen wrote on anticipation. She also believes having something to look forward to helps to make a happy life. Gretchen includes anticipation as the first step in enjoying an event.
Hot air ballooning might be inaccessible for many, but what can we almost all look forward to? Maybe you can search for a new hairstyle and look forward to having your hair cut that way. Or, how about going online to look at menus for local restaurants? Plan everything you are going to eat when you go out with friends. If a restaurant meal is not in the budget, look at recipes and find a different way to prepare a favorite food. Search the bestsellers list and decide which book you will be watching for in new BARD releases. Just about anything can be something to look forward to.
Then there is the question: Can people still be happy after vision loss? A post on the Club VIBES website says absolutely yes. The things that allow ‘normal’ people (have you SEEN some of those people??) to be happy are pretty much the same as what allow visually impaired people to be happy: health, friends and family, accomplishments, meaning. The author ends his (her?) page with this comment: Blindness is not what makes people unhappy; it is believing blindness limits your potential.
In other words, happiness is limited because we allow vision loss to rid us of dreams and things to look forward to. But it does not have to be that way. Find something to look forward to. Anticipating good things makes us happy.
written August 18th, 2017