Living With Anticipation

     Of over one million books sold in the Kindle store, I am now ranked the 1,130 top selling book of all books. This includes all the bestsellers, all the classics, all the everything!  Not that I am checking every 5 minutes to watch my rank change or anything so obsessive like that.....
   I keep hoping that on one of my visits to the site, I will see a row of 5 cherries click in to place, a whole bunch of bells and whistles will sound, and a gameshow host voice will shout out,"It's official! I'm Listening with a Broken Ear, Kaseorg's debut novel, has gone viral! Ding ding ding!" It could happen. Dreams can come true....
     In between clicking on my sales, I visit the ski slope update site of Sugar mountain, where we are supposed to go on our first ski trip of the season tomorrow. Each day, with the warm front hovering atop the mountain, the snow melts more, and the number of ski runs open dwindle. They are down to three runs open, at the moment. They do happen to be the runs we most use, but I doubt they will survive through the expected 60 degree day. I suspect our first day of skiing will not materialize.
     This is too bad on many levels. For one thing, it will be the second time our first ski date of the season will be canceled. And secondly, the car is already packed with our skis, boots, snowboards, jackets, mittens, hats, sunglasses, change of clothes, extra jackets, snowpants, wool sweaters, helmets, emergency rations, blankets, water bottles, emergency water, satellite radio, towels, tissues, suntan lotion, first aid kits, and full body emergency casts.
     "How long are you going for this ski trip?" asks the little Elf crouching in his corner of the car.
     "At least 6 or 7 hours," I tell him.
     "All this for one day of skiing?"
     "I like to be prepared."
     "And you did this how many days in advance?"
     "Only 5."
     " I see. And if skiing is canceled?"
     " I have to unpack it all. Because then a few days from now, both sons and one new wife will be home and I need the car to transport them and their stuff."
     "You live a good bit of your life in anticipation. Did you know that?"
     "Is that a compliment?"
     "How will you feel if your book doesn't go viral?"
     "Honestly? Disappointed."
     "Uh huh. And how will you feel if you have to unpack all this stuff without being able to use it when the ski day is canceled?"
     "Disappointed."
     "Then I don't think it is a compliment."
     "Now don't you think that is a little harsh? I mean the Bible talks about waiting in expectation."
     "About books selling or packing for ski dates a week in advance?"
     "Maybe not specifically, but all creation is waiting breathlessly and preparing. I'm just giving that pose of expectant waiting a dry run on smaller things."
     "You better be careful about how you apply Biblical verses to your life."
       I hang my head in shame as the little car elf crawls back under the seat.
     "By the way," his tiny voice calls from his hiding place, " I have my fingers crossed on that viral thing."

Romans 8: 18-21
¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.