Looking forward to something is often better than the event itself. Take skating: it looks very enjoyable when watching it on TV. Even contemporary skaters, for whom skating seems to come naturally, are apparently in a lot of pain.
It’s not only in sport that eager anticipation often heralds a disappointment. The same is true of food. Sometimes just the smell of coffee can put me in a good mood, but when drinking a cup it is never quite right.
Anticipation is often the first sign of an impending disillusionment: Barack Obama, the eighth instalment of the X Factor, holidays, birthdays in general and your own in particular...
