In my pondering over the aesthetics of joy this month I was intrigued to find that the idea of anticipation is often a factor in our experience of joy.
Experiencing time in seasonal cycles can remind us of delights to come, and add to the pleasure of the event itself. My little grandson is looking forward to his 7th birthday this weekend. His awareness of previous birthday treats and the approach of his next one adds an excitement not experienced by his soon to be 1 year old sister. She has not had a birthday before, and doesn’t have that awareness of a joyful event coming soon.
As I walk the garden this morning there is not a lot of brightness, and few signs of spring. But there are some hints that things are stirring.
When things feel dark and drab, the promise of the repeating patterns of nature give us something to look forward to, and this anticipation can be a joy in its own right.
“Our planet has rhythms of renewal which regularly bring joy back to us” says Ingrid Fetell Lee. “Imagining a future joy fills our minds with rich sensations and exciting possibilities”
So today I will find joy in the anticipation of spring while waiting for its arrival. And wish William a “Happy Birthday” not quite yet, but very soon!
Weavers Journal 
Your intrigueing post about joy inspired me to look up some books about it, and I found one on Amazon with a large section of the book reproduced, so you can read it online. It’s about the impact of colour, and the author beats the subject to death, but it’s still an interesting read. It’s by Ingrid Fetell Lee: “Joyful: The surprising power of ordinary things to create extraordinary happiness”. (You have to ignore the American spellings).
Cheers Lilita
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Hi Lilita, Yes that’s the book I’ve been reading this month. She has lots of interesting takes on the subject, especially about finding and making joy. Glad you found it interesting.