On a cold day in February, I was chatting on the phone with my sister when our conversation turned to summer plans. Not having given my summer activities a moment’s thought, I was a bit surprised when my sister told me her entire summer was already planned out (Note: if you were a parent who sent your children to summer camp for much of the summer, you’d probably have your summer planned out in February too).
Call it inspiration, call it sibling rivalry, or call it whatever you like – as soon as we got off the phone, I went straight to my calendar and started making plans: a trip with my pup to our favorite dog beach on Lake Michigan here, a camping trip with the girls there. A few hours (and a few Airbnb reservations) later, I’d done it. I surveyed my summer calendar and was delighted to see it was speckled quite fruitfully with lots of fun things.
It was at that moment I noticed a change within myself. I felt lighter somehow. More peaceful. More content. I realized it was because suddenly I had lots to look forward to. What a wonderful feeling!
Ever since that day, I’ve decided that I always (and I mean always) want to have something to look forward to. Why? Because when something exciting, fun, and joyous is on our calendar, it’s not only during the event itself that we get to experience all that excitement, fun, and joy – it’s also in the looking forward to it.
How many hours of joy have I already gotten out of looking forward to a trip I’m taking with my Brooklyn bestie for my 40th birthday this November? Too many to count.
How many hours of happiness have I already experienced thinking about being at Hudson’s favorite dog beach and watching him run free in the waves this summer? I lost track.
At this very moment, what do you have to look forward to?
If you CAN’T think of anything, it’s time to change that. Today. (And remember that plans don’t have to be grandiose in the slightest in order to give you something to look forward to!)
And if you CAN think of something, my question(s) to you would be this: Are you soaking it in? Are you bringing it to mind often? Are you really allowing yourself to look forward to that thing?
There’s real beauty in looking forward. And you deserve it, every day.
