Anticipation

If you've never had the luck to read this gem, make time. The author is a WWII flying hero who disappeared at sea on a mission. It appears to be a children's book, and can be read as such, but there are philosophical nods to adults resulting in provocative revelations.

Periodically I reflect on items and concepts vanishing from twenty-first century life. A somewhat startling consequence for me is the revelation that my baby boomer brain has adjusted. After all, consider how quickly and efficiently tasks get accomplished these days.

Take the mostly non-functional rotary dial phone. There’s no way to press one for this, two for that. Dialing a number takes forever, too! To maintain the accessibility of a landline, I switched to a push-button phone, still a nostalgic nod to my past. Dial tones don’t exist, but once in a while I still hear a busy signal from my smartphone.

I was slow to understand the reluctance to leave voicemail. It takes time to wait for the tone, then talk, then listen to make sure the message sounds okay. The major factor is probably that few listen to one if they bothered to set it up. Takes time to do that, then retrieve one.

The urgency to start and finish every task permeates routines these days, whether they are for work or leisure, but I don’t think I can blame our current technology for all of it. I came across a Wal-Mart photo envelope marked “1 Hour Photo.” I had to have that film developed pronto… so I could tuck it away, still packed with precious images from 1995. What was the big rush, I wonder.

Another stunning realization has surfaced. What I’m missing most in this digital age is anticipation. *Anticipation for photos that would eventually arrive after mailing film to be developed. Now they are a click away to lose in ever-growing cloud files.

*Anticipation for long phone conversations that kept me connected to family and friends far away. Now there are abbreviated ‘chats’ via texts void of life’s details.

*Anticipation for a supper of beans, fried potatoes and cornbread, with chocolate cake for dessert. Now it’s fast food in a drive-thru. To save more time we have mobile apps to order ahead. *Anticipation for the image appearing on the canvas. Sometimes I want to help the paint dry, ignoring the changes waiting brings to my mind’s eye that might make magic happen.

I miss “that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself.” (Jane Austen in Sense and Sensibility) Time is whizzing by because I’m whizzing around, always in a rush for reasons and seasons unknown. Creating time and space for anticipation is an intriguing challenge. “If you come at four in the afternoon, I’ll begin to be happy by three.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery in The Little Prince)

(For May 31)