For Jenn...

This is the transcript of a (one-sided) msn convo I just had with Jenn, in which she didn't receive the whole thing. So I'm recording it here, in its entirety, for posterity.

well, something I've been thinking about recently is the Christian approach to anticipation and gratification...

it seems to me, the way the calendar is set up, and the way we do worship, it's designed to dwell in both states. We dwell in the state of anticipation, and we dwell in the state of gratification...

which is in counterpoint to the messages of the consumer culture, which tell us to move as quickly as possible through both. it demands not only instant gratification, but also that we immediately move on afterward...

I think it can be an act of devotion to focus on something that we know is coming up... it isn't denying the Now, to acknowledge that we are feeling expectant and to live in that feeling. In fact, it means we are being MORE present to ourselves...

than if we deny or reject the feeling.

As long as our expectations are realistic and non-selfish, in the sense that we aren't using our thoughts about the future to deceive, repress, or distract ourselves from the real issues that are happening to us.

If the real issue that is happening to you right now is that you're excited for the future, that's where you should be. It seems to me.

Okay, I'm done.