I saw a post from a friend who said that his Mum told him never to surprise visit her as she loved the anticipation as much as the visit itself. Although my parents live abroad, I would never surprise them as I know they look forward to us visiting. I tell them the moment I have booked my flights so they have something to look forward to.
It’s almost like you are living a part of the excitement before it happens. You are expecting or predicting that something will happen. On the flip side, anticipation can be negative too. This can happen when you are expecting bad news. The sense of dread or anxiety can sometimes paralyse people. So what can you do – you can prepare yourself as best you can.
Let’s take a typical household scenario. Your washing machine is starting to make funny noises and it’s old. You expect the worst. You may start budgeting for it so that when it finally does pack in, you’re ready.
So overall I would say anticipation is a positive thing as it either gives you something to look forward to or it helps you prepare yourself for the worst.