It seems as if I have been waiting for my entire life. I waited to be older. I waited to be able to drive. I waited for school to end. I waited to find a job. I even waited for my kids to be old enough to take care of themselves.
And now I am waiting until I can leave my house again. I am waiting to see my friends and co-workers. I am waiting to go back to my life as it was before the quarantine.
No one likes to wait. Waiting is not easy.
But as I look back at the things that I have spent my time waiting for or wishing away, I can now see the things I should have appreciated at the time. Like the ease of being younger, of being in school without the responsibilities that currently weigh us down. The sometimes messy, sometimes crazy, but always amazing times spent chasing kids and dogs through the house.
We live in an instantaneous world. Things happen at a rapid pace and yet they do not seem to happen quickly enough for us.
When I was a kid, I used to love to get on the merry-go-round at the park. My dad would grab the bars and spin it while I held tightly onto the center pole and yelled “Go faster! Go faster!” Clinging for dear life to that pole I knew that if I let go or if my hands slipped, I would be tossed from the merry-go-round and tumble off into the grass. Still, it never seemed to go fast enough for me.
That is kind of how I feel right now. Except that this time, I have been flung from the merry-go-round at a high rate of speed, tossed to the ground and immediately stopped. Feeling slightly dizzy from the ride, I’m trying to get my bearings but I’m also eager to feel my feet on solid ground again.
Sometimes life gets going so fast that we don’t realize it until we stop. Or, are forced to stop. And, just maybe, we are presented with an amazing chance like the one we have right now. A chance to appreciate what we have today. To appreciate the lack of a commute and more time outdoors. To appreciate a meal shared with a family that has more than enough time to spend. To appreciate a meaningful conversation with someone.
To appreciate, literally, a chance of a lifetime.
To see this suspension of time that we have been given as a gift and to distill these moments into something more than waiting for good news or bad news. To know that this postponement of time has a limit and soon the merry-go-round will be in full swing again.
There is no better time than now to feel your feet on solid ground and appreciate the gifts you have been given. So, what are you waiting for?
