Anticipation

I am snipping Laundry Detergent Liquidless Eco Sheets in quarters. I am cutting Superfeet insoles to fit inside my Saucony Gortex hiking shoes. I am weighing the merits—and the actual weight—of my two headlamps.    
I am in prep mode.
Soon I will leave to walk my third Camino, a 125-mile stretch of the Camino Norte leading to the almost 200-mile Camino Primitivo. The Primitivo is the oldest and most rugged of the Caminos, arguably the most scenic, inarguable the most challenging.
As I have learned from walking the Camino Francés and the Camino Portuguese, there is prep. And there is prep.
There’s the prep that’s under your control that fools you into thinking “you’ve got this!”-- the plane reservations; the detailed, absurdly over-researched decisions about what to pack; the “training” (ha), meaning hiking a lot with a loaded backpack.
And then there’s the mental prep, the unshuttupable internal monolog that toggles between: Oh yes you can! and What the hell are you thinking?
And then there’s the un-preppable: the people you will meet, the beyond-rustic sleeping conditions you will find yourself in, the tsunami of feelings you will feel, the weather.
This morning, though, I am deep into identifying and organizing the stuff I will carry in my backpack. You would think this would be stressful (or boring?). Nope. I am agog with  happiness.
Where did this mad rush of good feeling come from? My brain!
According to research in psychology and neuroscience when we anticipate something pleasurable, our brain releases dopamine, the happiness neurotransmitter. This dopamine release creates a sense of excitement and happiness. In fact, the pleasure of planning often exceeds the pleasure of actually doing.
That’s because anticipation is about possibilities, and the brain tends to focus on the most positive outcomes. (Not, alas, and most unfortunately, for those who are disaster-scenario builders.)
Once we are actually experiencing the event, our brains adapt quickly to the new stimuli. This "hedonic adaptation" means the initial excitement fades as we become accustomed to the experience. The reality of the situation, including any unexpected challenges or disappointments, might not live up to the idealized version we imagined.
And so I will savor this dopamine-fueled morning, as I slice a few inches (as in ounces) off my REI quick-dry towel. Because who knows what the reality may bring.