"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A. A. Milne
My husband used to be a beekeeper. He suited up, fed the smoker, headed for the hives, withdrew the honey-laden supers. A trip across the backyard with said supers followed, batting away stray honeybees as he went that had not been deterred by the smoke. Inside the house an extractor awaited, a hand-cranked machine that spun the honey out of the comb by centrifugal force and into the barrel. From there, the honey was drained out, set aside, and later strained and bottled to reveal beautiful, gold-laden sweetness. I can identify with dear Pooh's "moment" just before you begin to eat it. I think the word he was looking for was
anticipation.
Ah,
anticipation. It occurs in the writer's life as well, most times identified at that moment when a response to a query comes in via e-mail or (like happened to me lately) by way of a long white envelope snail-mailed. What will the news be? Oh, that delicious moment when the heart says, maybe...just maybe...
At that moment the feeling of anticipation might be followed by any number of other feelings, also described by words with the
-ation suffiix. Words like:
hesitation ...
palpitation ...
perspiration ...
vacillation.
After that comes...the
revelation,
verification, and
realization.
Which way will that realization take us? To
celebration,
appreciation, and
fascination? Or
"botheration," vexation, maybe even an
ulceration?
Ah, such is the life of a writer, though a beekeeper might be able to give us a few words of advice. After all, he doesn't let a few stings stop him from his goals, does he? So on our way to our
destination, keep in mind that part of the writer's life is
exploration, imagination,
information, and
inspiration. Add a sweet spoonful of
observation,
adaptation,
navigation,
maturation--maybe even
liberation?
Don't give up. And if nothing else, we can have a bit of fun with words along the way, can't we? We call that
recreation.
Any words with the
-ation suffix you might add to the writer's list?
p.s. This is my 200th post since I started blogging--hard to believe! It's been a rewarding journey, and I look forward to a
continuation since I'm learning as I go and meeting lots of great people along the way. In fact, in
celebration of the milestone, I'd like to give a lucky reader their own moment of
anticipation. So, without
trepidation, I announce my
200th post give-away. Just comment to this post by next Saturday, August 25, and you'll be eligible for a $25 Amazon gift card. I only ask that you leave your email address so that I can contact the winner, whose name will be drawn by a purely random process. See you then!
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