My word is heard from again

Last week, I chose my “word” for the year, the word which was to guide me and keep me on track this year. The word I would turn to for inspiration or for tranquility. I picked the word “anticipation”. Or maybe it picked me.

I live to anticipate stuff – trips, holidays, days off, retirement. Yet, here I have been sitting for nearly a week feeling as if I had nothing to anticipate. There were no plans in the works, no holidays on the horizon, and until the number of days until retirement is less than a four digit number, that is just a depressing thing to look forward to.

But I won’t give up. On Monday, I turned in a vacation slip for a wedding out of town next summer. I wrote a note to the manager in big bold letters. “I know this is a long ways away, but I need to know as soon as possible so we can make reservations”. Usually I need to turn in such a vacation slip two or three times, always getting the response that the manager can’t plan that far in advance because change happens.

Then yesterday afternoon, the manager set this benign piece of paper on my desk, with her signature and an “x” in the line next to approved. That’s what I’m talking about – let the anticipation begin!

I will continue to anticipate the day I can return to this, my favorite place ever.