Waiting

 "We can't change what we have experienced, but we can choose how the experience changes us."

I started my day at one of my least favorite places.

The dentist.

If you are following, I need extensive dental work. I went today for visit number 5 of 10 visits. Anyone want to sing "Woah, we're halfway there?"

I have made all 5 of these visits post COVID.

I start each visit the same way. Sitting in my car waiting for someone to come out and take my temperature.

On my last visit, I sat 20 minutes before someone came out. By then I had already had a full blown panic attack and called them to say if they didn't take me INSIDE the building, I was going to Aldi. I like it WAY better there. I mean I was already so close to there?

Someone must have made a note on my chart because today I waited about 5 minutes and a very cheery employee came out to take my temperature and make sure I stayed on the grounds.

Once I'm IN the building, these people put on their kid gloves and are nothing but super kind to me. They don't make me feel bad that I need this much dental work (today she even said "The only thing that matters is you are taking care of it!"). They never make me feel guilty that I require nitrous oxide to sit in the chair, regardless of what they are doing ("I'll give you a few minutes to relax"). They are compassionate to me.

I'm distracted from the anxiety of the waiting.

They wait with me.

I realized today that while I don't necessarily love the procedure portion of the dental visit, the part that is the hardest for me is all the waiting.

Waiting in my car (or in pre-Covid times in the waiting room), being ushered back to a room, waiting on my turn, and then during procedures there are times you wait (while you wait for numbing meds to kick in, or the next step to be ready, or xrays).

These dental employees float in and out and frequently I'm alone in this chair with my over reacting brain.

During all those times of waiting, I manage to work myself into an anxious frenzy. Anticipating the worst. Dreading the procedure.

I'm not good at waiting.

In some other universe I may find this funny about myself because I am CONSTANTLY waiting.

I waited 9 years for Peanut.

I waited 6 years for gastro relief.

I am still waiting on some of my prayers.

Many of my people are waiting this week. And my heart hurts for them.

All waiters should get nitrous oxide. I'm just saying.

It doesn't hurry up the waiting. It doesn't even decrease the pain of the wait. It sort of forces you to slow down your over processing and just process the next moment.

Waiting is hard.

We are not meant to wait alone.

Mama Warriors, we are often stuck in our car waiting by ourselves because we don't ask others to wait with us.

We don't ask people to sit with us in the wait.

People can't show up for us if they don't know.

There's no prize for carrying it all by yourself.

We can't change the fact that there is waiting in life.

We can change HOW we wait.

I challenge you this week to ask a trusted friend to sit with you in the wait on your hard.

As we journey to the cross this Lenten week, let someone else help you with your burden.

Faith is a team sport.

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