Everyone knows what anticipation feels like. It is a good feeling that makes you happy, excited, and hopeful. What do you anticipate?

Perhaps you hurry home after church on Sunday so that you can catch the number one song on "American Top 40". You listen to the radio often and wonder to yourself who is going to have the top spot this week. Will it be Lady Gaga, perhaps? Will it be Train? Time will tell. In the meantime, you can listen and make your own predictions.

You might anticipate the arrival of the mail, watching out your window Monday through Saturday whenever the mail is due. You might be expecting something, for example, such as a response from a publisher. You might also be curious about what unexpected good things might show up in the mail.

You might be looking forward to an upcoming charity walk. You have already gotten a team together, purchased clothing, lost weight, and trained for the event. When the long-awaited glorious day finally arrives, you can walk with your teammates. In the meantime, you will be praying for good weather on the day of the event.

At Christmas, you anticipate the arrival of your loved ones. Perhaps they call before they board the plane to let you know that they are about to board, they love you, and they will see you in a few hours. The phone call lets you know what is going on and allows you to plan the rest of your day. Before they arrive, you will need to clean the house, finish and submit the article you are currently working on , and fix dinner. When they arrive, they will be tired and hungry. You have time, but do you have enough time? If you get busy, you just might.

Anticipation is important because you need excitement in your life. Many parts of life, such as bills and taxes, are necessary but boring. You need something to look forward to. If you can look forward to something, it can positively affect your health. When you anticipate something, you will likely be able to sleep well, rather than lying awake most of the night, tossing and turning. When you sleep well, you should have good dreams, rather than nightmares. Sleeping well will allow you to be at your best when you are at work or at school. It will also help you to be in a good mood most of the time, so that you can be energetic and so that friends and family will want to spend time with you.

Good things are in your future. Look forward to it.