Waiting

Tammy Said:

An American poet once mused, “how much of human life is lost in waiting?” Yesterday, while Timmy and I were at the St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Brighton, I couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.

Waiting can indeed be sharp and tiresome, wheedling its annoying claws into every activity and event. The ironic thing is, the more we hate waiting, the more we have to do it. A traffic jam occurs just when we are rushing to go to work. We wait for a very late taxi to arrive just when you feel like crap and want to go home immediately. We wait for inspiration to arrive when we want to write. You just can’t help but think – minutes are wasted, moments of life are lost, why ever, do we need to wait?

Yesterday was all about waiting. Timmy had his hernia operation scheduled very early in the morning so we were called to come in at 630AM. Little did we know that the operation was not to begin until much later. We stayed in the ambulatory surgery waiting room for a full hour and a half before Timmy was called in to be prepped. It was a little amusing though because another lady (who was having breast augmentation) kept staring at my little belly. Baby Sophie was making major tummy waves at that time – whether it was due to hunger as I have not had breakfast then yet or just to show off I don’t know – and I noticed the lady’s eyes watching her movements. Turns out she had just had her 2nd baby (a boy) six months ago and she’s probably still giddy about her recent pregnancy experience.

After Arvin was prepped, I waited again, this time with a darling old couple waiting for their son to come out of the recovery room. From bits and pieces I heard in their conversations, he had dislocated his shoulder. They were so cute as the mom was very talkative but the dad was trying his darndest to stay awake. Anyway, being sleepy myself, I switched back and forth from sleep to wakefulness. This went on for two hours before Dr. Claros, Timmy’s surgeon finally came out of the OR to tell me that the surgery was successful.

Very happy that Timmy was out of danger, I said a little prayer of gratitude and this time headed straight to the ultrasound room, where I had an appointment at 1030. There were so many pregnant ladies milling around the waiting room when I arrived that I immediately had the scary thought that I would be in for a long wait. True to expectations, I waited and waited. I simmered silently in my seat as the minutes, then the hours ticked by. When I was finally called, I was just about ready to howl with anger. Thankfully, seeing our baby again on the ultrasound monitor erased all the negativity and I was able to go to my next appointment (this time with my OB-GYN) without smoke coming out of my ears.

Waiting at my OB was a different experience though. It was actually fun. Ever noticed how pregnant ladies or new moms are always so excited to share their childbirth or parenting experiences? Like the ultrasound waiting room, Dr. Falzon’s waiting room was full, but it was full of CHATTY moms. They were so amazed with my little belly and we ended up sharing stories about our pregnancies (I was the only first time mom there and the others had very useful tips to share such as listen to the doctor when she prescribes bedrest!). I enjoyed the conversations so much I didn’t notice the time go by. Before I knew it, I was being called to pick up Timmy from the recovery room as he was ready to go home.

Waiting need not be a tedious, unbearable process. We probably get so caught up in this fast-paced, everything’s about deadlines and rush-rush world that we forget that sometimes, waiting can be a good thing. We get to meet new people, we even get to learn a little about things and goings-on around us – things we don’t usually notice. Everything doesn’t have to happen fast and furiously. Like a pregnancy for example, waiting nine months for your little girl to arrive makes the whole experience more purposeful, more special, and more joyous. Seeing Timmy well, walking, and still smiling after his surgery also reinforced the rewards of waiting. From yesterday’s experience, I can say that waitng, can in fact, be a pleasant experience. It’s just a matter of perspective.