Excited or Not That is the Question

In about two and a half weeks, my youngest Avery and I will be joining her AP English class on a trip to England. We will travel the country from top to bottom ending in London where we will stay for 3 nights before heading home. I know this is a trip of a lifetime, something not everyone can do. Because this trip is something special, I am asked this question very often; “Are you getting excited?”

I am not quite sure how to explain to people that I am not excited at all. It is not that I am unhappy about going or worried about going, I am just not ramping up my expectations about this trip. I know that England has so much history and beauty; I know that their culture and accents are different from ours and I also know that English food and lifestyles are a bit different from ours. The issue is that over time I have realized that sometimes my excitement turns an event into something bigger than it is in my mind and then I feel let down when my over extended expectations are not met. For this reason I remain unmoved at the thought of visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace or the home of the Bronte sisters or The Roman baths.  

Now before you get completely annoyed with me I should tell you that as the day of departure nears I am carefully plotting what I will bring. I have booked a room for myself rather than sleeping with Avery, so that she can have the experience of traveling with her friends and so that I can also have some time to myself. This might be hard to believe, but while I am a social person and love to talk to people, I use my alone time to recharge and reflect. I need the time to keep myself going, that time will be especially necessary when traveling with a large group for ten days.

As I write this I find my heart racing just a little and a few butterflies flitting about in my tummy, so maybe I am beginning to show signs of some excitement after all. Just a couple weeks from now I will begin my packing and preparations for a trip I never thought I would take. Hopefully my excitement will begin to grow just enough that I am looking forward to going, but not enough to rush the trip along, sort of a happy medium, so that when I am asked “Are you getting excited?” I can say, “Yes I am!”