Anyone my age or older can’t possibly forget the grueling Heinz ketchup commercial “Anticipation.” If you’re too young to remember, it was a close up shot of a bottle of Heinz ketchup being poured painstakingly slowly. And in the background, Carly Simon crooned her famous hit, Anticipation. “Anticipation, anticipation. Is makin’ me late. Is keepin’ me waitin’.” It was completely iconic.
I hate to ruin the flashback but I have a question. So I ask you… couldn’t they have just hit the Heinz?? Or was that a restaurant hack to hit the bottle right at the Heinz label in the middle and watch the ‘chup pour out? Well cat’s out of the bag now! Also, back in the day, bottles were made of glass and not the fun squeezy kind we have now. Progress at work my friends.
Usually we have to wait for the train to show up, or the bus to leave, delays on the tarmac, to pay the check, for the dryer to finish, our nails to dry, in the doctor’s office, for FedEx deliveries, for the UPS guy, incoming email, outgoing replies, feedback, offer letters, good news, approvals, summer, five o’clock, vacation, marriage proposals, divorce papers, in line, online, checks to clear, lotto numbers to be announced, the toaster to ding, our kids to come home, birthdays and anniversaries, the clock to strike midnight, to pass go and hopefully collect $200, our phones to charge, the votes to be counted, and we wait not so patiently for change.
There are so many things that don’t require waiting at all! We don’t have to wait to be the change, pay it forward, take a walk, make a difference, pay a compliment, offer praise, pitch in, share an idea, help someone, be charitable, entertain ourselves, or dream big… so that’s at least something, right? Or a few somethings. They say patience is a virtue, but I’ve never had much of it. (Yes, Mom and Dad. Working on it!!)
“By all means move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me.” Words spoken by none other than Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada played by Meryl Streep. Did that hit home for you, too? I think living in New York where the pace is frenetic makes us want to move more quickly, talk faster, and keep up with the energy of the City. Many New Yorkers are used to urban conveniences like same day delivery, using the app and picking up in store, avoiding lines whenever possible, taking the express lane, using the express train, and having to drink a few espressos just to power through a normal day. We like it fast. We want it now. And we don’t want to wait. We all sound like Veruca Salt!
I try to have anticipation work for me instead of against. I anticipate bad weather and drag an umbrella around. I have my phone fully charged when I’m in a waiting room so I can comfortably surf and still walk out with a bit of battery. I order food before I’m starving so that in case delivery takes longer than expected I’m not a ravenous lunatic. Hangry is not a good look on anyone.
There is one particular thing I’m insanely excited about. In this case the anticipation is amazingly fun and killing me all at the same time. In truth, thinking about it only adds to the joy! So I’m thrilled to tell you that I have a BIG announcement coming this week and I can’t wait to share the news. But sorry… you’ll have to wait to find out. (See what I did there???)
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