This piece first appeared in Periphery Drafts #20.

That feeling. You know the one where you’re waiting for someone or something to…come on, man, finally…just get here already! It’s that maddening mix of time utterly crawling by until, suddenly, ZOMG THEY’RE GOING TO BE HERE TOMORROW!? WTF? WHERE DID THE TIME GO!

That’s not just me, is it?

The thoughts that go through my head while I’m waiting. I’ll play through possible conversations. What we’ll do and where we’ll go. So many things to clean! Will they have a good time? I need to stock my fridge. No, hold up, lemme check my list of Things-I-Have-To-Do-First…

Antici…Pation

All of those things—that mad race to waiting—are like the future reaching out to tap me on the shoulder. Waiting can be shockingly active.

As a writer, these are the kinds of moments I try to remember. Creating that sense of frenetic anticipation in a story has to come from somewhere. The same is true for falling in love, being afraid, being bored…name the human state, and it pays to pay attention.

The visit will stand out much more than the week I spent waiting—unless I make a point of remembering those feelings, too.