37. Anticipation

Hello and welcome, I’m Renée Valentina and this is Musing Interruptus. A podcast meant for sharing thoughts, stories, enjoying idiomatic phrases and words in general. You can read along; the transcription is in the description of this episode. The idiomatic expressions are in italics. Try to get the meaning from the context and then look them up to see if you were right. If you like it, share it, but more importantly, continue the conversation. Today, Anticipation I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years. She whispered. I’ve been waiting my whole life, he responded with a sigh of relief, and they fell into each other, acquiring pieces from the other, all secondhand, all lived in, perfectly lovable. A transformative peace fell over them.  What a great scene. I’d start the movie there, cut through the time and complications. I’d just make a movie of the moments in which there is resolution, cutting anticipation and resistance to zero. However, only those characters and the writer would be able to appreciate everything that had to happen for that moment to take place. That is the difference between pornography and a romantic movie. Throw in Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, and a sandwich shop and you’ve made it. What is Casablanca without the resistance, WWII, and only two letters of transit? I don’t know, but the answer is in the movie, it doesn’t amount to a molehill of beans. Ultimately, who would be satisfied with the last minutes of that movie? Another question that comes to mind is, who is satisfied with the resolution of that movie?! I know I’m not.  The more  I think about it, the worse the idea of just cutting to the last scene. The immediacy of it all reminds me of 30-second videos, elevator pitches, and non-committal relationships. Most are easily forgotten and provide less gratification than soggy broccoli. Anticipation prolonged by the hurdles faced by the characters in a story determines how much more we appreciate the ending. The road might lead to ruin or glory, the only way you will find out is if you walk it.  I love how you can trace empires, beautiful works of art, and scientific and technological advances to brilliant ideas that seem like anybody could have had them. What sets us apart? Why is there only one Madam Curie?  I like stories that have happy endings, in which triumph tastes sweeter because the protagonist had to overcome inner demons and build through sheer will. I like my triumphs. Anticipation can be an essential element. It is the preview, the free sample, and the accelerant. Anticipation is key. You know you are on the right track if you feel anticipation and peace. When you are caught off guard by thoughts of what is to come. It is the looking forward. The feeling of es muss sein or as it should be like electricity coursing through your veins chased by a sensation of ease. This is what I want and I will have it. If only it were as easy as just feeling it. We all know it takes more. Building empires, creating works of art, solving complicated problems, takes time, and talent, and know-how, and determination. Add in a pinch of luck, and a liter of anticipation, and you might make history. Making dreams come true generally is a group effort. You have to start with the idea. That might seem like the most complicated part. Was it the conception or inception of the dream? I remember reading that the best ideas can come to you when you stop thinking about needing an idea. Idea-making is a group effort as well. How exciting to be motivated by a new idea. It can make the brain come alive again. Woe is me if I get stuck in the frustration of not knowing what the next step is. It is a group effort. Ice cream comes to mind. Do we owe it all to the Tang Dynasty? Their idea spurred through time and space, experiences, in