5....4....3....here comes 2!

I love anticipation. I don't know why. Whenever there is any kind of event that I'm looking forward to, the thought of the event and the anticipation of it are enjoyable for me. Sometimes, the anticipation is more enjoyable than the event itself.

I get excited for my birthday and Christmas every year. I love how that time of year feels. When Christmas is approaching, pretty lights and decorations appear everywhere, there's snow on the ground, and it just feels like a very special time. When the weather gets warmer, and leaves and flowers start blooming, I know that my birthday is just around the corner.

For whatever reason, on Christmas Day itself and my birthday itself, I feel kind of "meh" about it. Not that's a let-down or anything, but it's never as much fun as the anticipation.

Same with major fundraising events that I'm involved with. The planning and the organizing can be tedious and stressful, but they're also fun and exciting! Then, on the day of the event, it goes by so fast that it's hard to enjoy it. Before I know it, the thing that has almost consumed my life for months and months is over, and I almost feel like I missed it.

Today is a big day. We have Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaking tonight at a wonderful event for St. Joseph's. I'm delighted and a bit astonished to say that I met the man last evening at a small event. My meeting with him was brief, just a handshake, a smile and me trying to sound eloquent as I told him how happy I was to meet him and thanked him for coming. In that moment, all the rushing and last minute prepping that have at times stressed me out over the past nine months slowed right down and I knew nothing other than that moment.

I fully expect tonight to be a blur as a flurry of activity happens around me, and I need to remember and carry out my specific role. If that "meh" feeling hits me at all tonight, or I feel a bit disappointed that it's all over, I know that I will have a memory that I can cherish forever.