Anticipating passionate interludes

In the basketful of emotions we all carry around with us just waiting to be unleashed at the drop of our basket, I’ve always had a strong liking for “anticipation.”

Why, I still remember vividly 40-odd years ago eagerly anticipating a passionate interlude with Jeff. About 60 seconds after I first set eyes on him. Then years after that began transpiring – often to everyone’s mutual satisfaction spending hours with him imagining the ice-cold beers waiting for us in Las Vegas. This was after our car broke down in the middle of Nevada’s Mojave desert leaving us stranded on an incredibly hot and dry August day miles away from civilisation, long before the invention of the cell-phone.

I’ll even risk stepping on hallowed psychiatric doctrine – not for the first time here – and say the sense of looking forward to something can be more-or equally as-fulfilling as whatever it is that’s being anticipated.

I could go on listing things I enjoy anticipating such as checking and re-checking airline tickets for long overseas trips. Or bathing, luxuriating, beautifying and getting all dressed up for a nice formal dinner. And Jeff-asked only moments ago-says the 24 hours before a televised football match between Manchester United and Real Madrid always make him veritably abuzz.

But nothing comes close to matching what we are both currently buzzing about.

The impending arrival of a total of eleven children and grandchildren on our tropical paradise island. Since they’ll all be descending in one fell swoop it also involves lots of participatory anticipation for Jeff and myself. Fortunately, we have nothing better to do.

For starters, there’s the knotty question of acceptable affordable accommodation. Our beach shack is perfect for two lusty sexagenarians prone to floating around in states of great undress, but thoroughly impractical for us and anyone of any age forced to cohabit with us under this one tiny roof.

So today’s riddle is, how do you find room at Christmas on the Caribbean’s most popular Christmas destination for so many people, preferably within walking distance of each other? And oh yes, it has to be on a beach! The answer? It’s almost impossible!

But not only is anticipation one of my favourite emotions; I’ve discovered overcoming the impossible to make something happen only adds to the pleasure. Remember what I anticipated 40-odd years ago? That turned out not to be difficult at all.