I think about life and it seems like I am always waiting for something. Waiting is one thing that I do well. I’ve spent my whole life doing it. I should be good at it. It all started when I was waiting for that first breath of life.
When I was a baby my life was waiting for absolutely everything. Waiting to be fed, burped and changed. But most of all, waiting to be held and loved. I believe my mom did well with all of that. Thank you mom!
As a child, the most important thing that I waited for was Saturday morning cartoons. Getting the bowl and milk. Grabbing that box of cereal, Fruity Pebbles was my favorite and it still is. Making my delicious breakfast for the all important morning entertainment.
I was waiting to see what mystery Scooby Doo and Shaggy were going to solve. Waiting to watch Looney Tunes. Singing with SchoolHouse Rock. Ah, yes, I waited all week for those few hours of laughter with my best Saturday morning friend, the TV. Yes, those were the days.
Then, I became an adult. I realized that waiting so much could be irritating. Waiting for everything. Waiting at the stoplight driving to work, for the workday to start and waiting to go home. Waiting at the gas station and at the grocery store. Waiting for everyone to come and eat dinner. Standing up all day in a manufacturing job is difficult and the longest wait of the day was waiting to go to bed. Ah, my best nighttime friend, my bed.
The most important and wonderful waiting that I have done is waiting for my two children to take their first breath of life. All the waiting that I have done for them was done without complaint. Waiting for them to become adults has been the best and most fulfilling experience that I have had. Amancio and Jalila were worth the wait.
I have to say that the hardest and longest wait that I have had in my life was the start of the worst year of my life. It was waiting for the results of the biopsy test for breast cancer. It was a long two weeks.
I waited for so many bad but necessary things fighting this horrible cancer. Waiting for chemo to start and for my hair to start falling off. Waiting for the side effects to start. Also, waiting for my last chemo session. Waiting for my surgery and to heal. Yes, so much waiting that year.
What I’m trying to say is that life is waiting for the next event to happen. Sometimes the wait is worth it because wonderful things will happen. Most are just ordinary everyday times of waiting. Some are the ones that are feared and waiting is a terrible time. Waiting is a part of life and we should all be good at it. Well, most of the time we are.
~Rita Romero
I love your style of writing, Rita. You should write a book about your life. It would be such an interesting and thought provoking book.
This may seem kind of incongruent but I will write it anyway. When I was in high school, my friends and I decided that Six Flags was all about teaching us to wait for the really fun and exciting things. I always think about that thought when I am frustrated with waiting.