Day 6 - 185 -- Waiting

Tonight the waiting ended. The Canada Day festivities postponed twice due to rain this week were a go. Now, I only knew this when someone I passed on the stairs at work mentioned the day would be perfect for the concert and fireworks. If not for that random moment, I would have missed the event as with past postponements. After working through organization of parts of a writing project all afternoon, I headed home for a light supper. Walking out the door into the mugginess and heat was a bit overpowering. It was definitely hotter than it had been yesterday with more humidity, as well. The fireworks scheduled for dusk, did not occur for almost 30 minutes later. I stood waiting and felt I might fall asleep on my feet. The display was pleasant, but a bit underwhelming. That feeling could be due to postponement, fatigue or repetition of patterns in the explosions. I wasn't as 'wow'd' as I've been in the past. Don't get me wrong, they were enjoyable, but different than the last time I'd seen the July 1st display in town.

Waiting can build up expectations such that disappointment seems inevitable.Some excitement ahead of time seems reasonable. I'm not sure why happenings become inflated in one's mind  -- especially smaller events. Resulting letdowns can colour perceptions of other related or concurrent activities. The emotions felt vary from anger to sadness and many others in between. I felt something I'd describe as dismay on the walk home. That walk took more than the usual 10 minutes due to the amount of foot traffic along Main Street and encountering a friend with a quick chat along the way. About halfway home while waiting for the walk light, I was reminded of walking in a much larger crowd -- hundreds of times larger -- while in Hong Kong. To my surprise, I heard a voice behind me comment. "This is like Tokyo." I laughed out loud. By then, the minor negative feelings had left. Yet, there are much larger events that can leave lasting disappointment. Interesting.

Lyrics that came to mind note the excitement of anticipation albeit in a very different situation that I've described here <smile>. Those I heard come from the chorus. This is a favourite artist of mine. Enjoy!

The Waiting -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers