Yesterday was a day of waiting. Waiting at the doctor for a same day appointment. Waiting at the hospital for a chest xray. Waiting at home for the phone call from the doctor about the chest xray. Waiting at the orthodontist for the eldest to get off her braces. All this waiting exhausted me. I sat in silence, unplugged from my phone, disengaged from the fluff magazines, wrapped in silence. I perused each waiting room and I was the only one waiting. Everyone was on their phone or some device. I was so tired of waiting, I didn't have the energy to engage with anything other than stillness. In all of this quiet waiting, my mind wandered. In all the waiting for the next moment, I rarely stop to appreciate the present moment. Rather than dig out my phone, I dug out my notebook, played hangman with a sick chicklet (who I'm happy to report had clear lungs, woo hoo!), and sat in the moment.
Sitting in the orthodontist's office, I watched a three year old stand in front of the camera, so proud, so nervous for her first dentist visit. I remembered my girl, now getting her braces removed, doing the exact same thing. My eyes filled not with tears of sadness, but rather, of joy. I just feel so damn lucky to witness these little beings blossom into amazing people. It goes without saying that time flies, but it doesn't have to; if you stop and savor the small moments, like in the waiting rooms, life has a way of handing you golden nuggets in those mundane, ordinary moments. Don't get me wrong, I'm not on a no phone high horse here, believe me. I just had one of those moments where life freezes, zooms in on what you need, and captures a bit of your heart, exposes a treasure snapshot of brilliance. My party of five has learned alot this year, but more than anything, we've learned life is short, it is beautiful, it is hard, but it is such a gift, sometimes wrapped in the dull paper of everyday.
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