The word anticipation has more than one meaning. In the best sense of the word, anticipation means to be conscious of others. In a world that seems to have sprung from Narcissus's lake at a rate of a # 5 hurricane, anticipating one another will definitely be the last thing on our list unless we come to realize that anticipating others makes life a lot easier for ourselves.
Christ spoke of it. "Anticipate one another." I've spent a lifetime wondering what people think this really means.
Here are some little examples of what I think anticipation is:
I am driving down the highway and I notice in the distance that the "on ramp" has a string of traffic, so I get into the fast lane NOW to avoid a compromise thirty seconds later.
I am pouring a cup of coffee at 5:45 a.m. and glance at the counter where the crock pot has been sitting for a month. As I drink my coffee, I put a pound of frozen meat, a package of carrots, some tomato sauce, bouillon, and a cup of wine into it and plug it in, so that a delicious dinner can be ready and waiting for my family when I return from work.
I know my kids will need OTC meds this winter, so the next time I'm at the drug store, I collect all the things I think they will need next time they are ill including two big liters of ginger ale to be hidden until needed.
I am racing to the door of my building, and there is an older woman who is just reaching the top of the stairs. I know it will be a hardship for her to handle that flight and then a heavy door. I stop, wait, and open the door for her.
My best friend's birthday is around the corner. I spend a few minutes next time I am on Amazon to look for that book she has been talking about. I buy the book so that it is in my possession when her birthday arrives.
I know that it's a busy time of year for my daughter with kids, so I purposely set time aside to help out with the Christmas rush, so I volunteer to sit or run errands or clean or do whatever is needed.
Anticipation of others means thinking about someone else first. It means making the coffee first, changing the paper towel first, answering the phone...It means doing a little extra to make someone else's life easier or better, and consequently, making things easier for ourselves.
But anticipation means thinking it through. It means thinking about what might or could be needed at any point in time and doing the work that's needed. Nobody can cover it all, but even covering a little more every day will matter to the people around you.
One of the nice things that was anticipated for me recently was the removal of the Christmas Tree at school. I always do this the day after the big school Santa party, so that the general clean up can begin. My friend and teacher, Nita, offered to come help me. Usually, I do this alone, and it's a big job, but this year, Nita anticipated my need and helped. It was a HUGE help and much appreciated.
Follow through is the activity most people struggle with. Making sure things are finished in a timely and happy way is the downfall of many of us. By anticipating the struggle, anyone can make following through easier. Let's look at a child's art project as an example.
It's a two day project. It involves paint, glue, parts, thread, glitter and eyes! Before you head into this, the problems will arise from one thing - children's lack of organizational skills. So to avoid that, anticipate what will happen. By putting a name on every part so that when something inevitably falls on the floor, we know who it belongs to, and the endless confusion is lessened. Making a place in advance for every child's work to dry helps. Make sure every child has a pre-named bundle to begin with will eliminate confusion and create a manageable scheme of doing every step. Many teachers would simply begin, and then get angry when chaos breaks out. The point is to anticipate the chaos and stave it off with a before the fact organization...thinking it through.
One of my jobs is to feed, water and clean our zoo room every day. I need a lot of supplies to keep more than ten species of birds and animals fed and clean so that the zoo room will be a healthy and happy little place. I anticipate problems I might find in the zoo room, including buying the supplies I need before I absolutely need them, and I make sure I am at school way ahead of the children so that I can "fix" any possible problem. One morning I came in to six baby bunnies strewn across the floor. If I had walked in with the first child, he or she would have seen that.
In everything we do there are anticipations of other people's needs. Thinking about others begins with thinking about ourselves. What would I want if I were in their place? What do they need that I can supply. It's a life saver anyway you look at it.
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