It's often said there's a fine line between love and hate. There's one noun in particular, that is often loaded with one or the other, often without intent or cognisance. Hence, the decision to poke and prod around On Anticipation this fortnight.

Classic Passive Aggression

I hesitated from describing this as "British", since having my own home nation as the main sphere for anecdotal anthropological study does not an evidence-based classification make. But whether you recognise this usage of anticipation from written English or elsewhere in the United Plandom, I think you'll know what I mean. This is little more than pretend anticipation, that lies somewhere between a reminder, a pointless layer of admin and the workplace cultural inability to challenge the status quo. See "I'll anticipate your reply eagerly" (meaning "I didn't quite have the brass neck to mark this email as high importance but I am damn well hoping/expecting you to reply pretty sharpish").

See also "What is your salary anticipation?" (for "We are the kind of company that financially values your response to this one question more than anything else we know about you") (and there'll be more on fair pay the fair way in future Philosopher-In-Residence blogs

Bored Emoji

Closely linked to the Classic Passive Aggressive anticipatory sub-set, Bored Emoji anticipation is for when, in your heart of hearts, you have little or no interest in the anticipation you state, but you say it anyway. See "I anticipate it taking the whole weekend to sort through the stuff in the attic" or "I spent the whole meeting waiting in anticipation of the boss's announcement". This category of anticipation is so entitled due to the likelihood of sending your mates a clandestine bored emoji on the messaging tool of your choice whilst mid-experience.

Loving Life

I thought I'd save the best to last, since we all need a bit of love (or even just a sense that we are in fact living, rather than just existing, at the moment). Loving Life-style anticipation can be recognised as a quickening pulse, butterflies in the tummy, growing wide-eyed.

No wonder this coffee-break sized blog began a few minutes ago by characterising anticipation as closely entwined with love and hate. You'll find this kind of anticipation in pulp fiction romance novels - see "Her heart began to beat faster as he walked into the room". Also at home in real life, this kind of anticipation makes your heart and head gush with the sense of meaningful opportunity, the knowledge something good might be about to unfold and the table tennis exchange between gut and grey matter about whether to just go for it or to rein yourself in to avoid mistakes or looking foolish. There's no roadmap for this type of anticipation, but as sentient souls in strange times, this Philosopher-In-Residence would certainly recommend allowing yourself to indulge in some Loving Life anticipation rather than merely hoping for the best.

One year ago, I was on the trip of a lifetime to Portugal, Gambia, Senegal and Morocco, feeling pleased that I'd managed to de-stress, self-care and start the year right.

Fifty weeks ago, I was lying in the Acute Medical Unit, hooked up to a drip and wondering if I'd leave in a car or in a box. If I had known the early warning signs of bacterial meningitis in an adult, things could have been different - so next fortnight, I’ll be musing On Meningitis.

In the meantime,

Happy Planning