Imminent

Imminent

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Imminent- about to happen, close at hand, forthcoming, in the offing, on the horizon, expected, anticipated, looming…

It’s like waiting for the wedding to begin.  Everyone is giddy with excitement and suspense.  Or waiting for a baby to be born where there’s a conglomeration of anxiety, longing, and hopefulness.

We spend so much time in our lives waiting for something to happen.  My friend, Tom, calls it “waiting energy”.  We wait for the clothes to be dry, for the turkey to be done, for the pudding to set, for the tomato plant to produce for us a bumper crop of sweet fruit.  We wait for someone to “pop the question”.

We wait for the mail to come, for a phone call from a significant other, for the car to warm up, for our guests to arrive, for the guy from Home Depot to deliver the new refrigerator. We wait for the test results, for some good news, for a loved one to pass away from their pain and suffering into relief and peace.

And then we wait for our grieving to end.

I’ve been waiting all summer for my townhouse to be finished.  But it’s really not about the townhouse.

It’s about me.

What is it about “waiting energy” that zaps our lives and renders us immobile, unproductive and frozen in time and space? Why can’t we stop waiting for something to happen and just start living our lives in whatever space we dwell in.

Physical space.  Psychological space. Spiritual space.  Inner space.  Outer space.

What have you put your life on hold for- and why?

 

 

 

 

 

12 Responses »

  1. And how much time do we waste in “I can’t wait for….” school to be out; school to start, to become 16, 21; for the check to come, for the winter to end, for all those things that keep us from living in the moment. I read once about a person who spent his whole life waiting. When he was a boy, he could not wait to be 16, then to graduate, then to be 21, to start his career, to marry, to have children, for those children to grow up, to retire…..When he wrote the piece, he was dying after having wished most of his life away. Waiting is part of the seasons of our lives. Advent – the wait, the anticipation, the hope….. For ten years I have waited for my son to take a step. One step. That’s all I asked. It didn’t seem like too much for a God that created the universe to let him take one step. It’s been ten years. Life has gone on around me. People have come and gone in my life. And still, I wait. I hope.

  2. Kimberly, Don’t lose hope. I am confident that in your son’s lifetime there will be medical progress that will allow him to walk. The waiting is difficult. Thank you for your post. You really “get” what I’m saying. I am beginning to wonder if I’m out in left field with my thoughts and writing…

  3. Sis, you are probably more like in right-center field! I woke up this morning, couldn’t wait to pee, then couldn’t wait for the coffee to brew, after which I patiently waited for the inevitable 20 min in the bathroom reading e-mails, Facebook, and One-hip Divas. Couldn’t wait to delete all the trash on the e-mails. Then, at 5:00Am in Kentucky, waited for my wife to wake up in South Carolina, so I can call her (And that’s just in the past hour..!)
    I am waiting for the day I don’t have to work anymore…
    Waiting to hit the LOTTERY…
    Anxiously waiting for my trip to CA at the end of the month…So I can confirm, our lives are full of waiting for someting.
    Thank god for this though…
    I never have to wait for Walmart to open….they’re open 24 x 7.
    KNOWWHATIMTAKINBOUT….??
    …and finally, I can’t wait for September 15 so I can wish you a Happy Birthday and tell you that I love you.

    brother…..

    • Mickey, I wish TJMaxx was open 24/7! I’m always waiting for them! Also waiting for grandchildren to appear and waiting for a vacation. How ’bout that! I’m also waiting to win the LOTTERY! Mickey, my bro, we have each other and a pretty incredible family. That’s worth more than the lottery! Can’t WAIT to see you at Christmas! Love you xox- Sissie

  4. I love the word “imminent” that you offered here, Rosemarie. Sometimes, in that “waiting time” we are in a state of incubation–like the imaginal cells in a cocoon, swirling around till they are ready to emerge as a flying butterfly. Allowing ourselves the luxury and freedom to just be during this time of transformation is a gift.

    I agree about getting a replacement for that tacky fence, too! Ha ha. (Or, we could think of it as the outer layer of the cocoon and just know that, in time, the glorious townhouse will emerge ready to bear gifts for its inhabitant.)

  5. Claudia, it has been a time of transformation- absolutely! Here is how it feels to me if you can get this picture. I feel like I’ve been put in a sling shot and pulled back back back, slowly and deliberately. When I am “let go” I am going to fly like nobody’s business.

    I can elaborate when I see you next, my friend, and I hope that is sometime soon! xox

  6. Don’t lose any faith in your thoughts and writings Rosemarie as I think you strike more chords than you know.

    I waited over four years to meet and speak with my youngest son again. I continue to wait – nearly six years now – to hear from my oldest son. The weight of the waiting can be crushing especially when there is no end in sight – or – knowledge of an end at all.

    I have changed a lot during this waiting period in my life. I found a new purpose, dusted off my old gumption, and have no plans to go softly into the night.

    Hope you don’t mind my commenting.

  7. Jeff, thank you for the affirmation. And I am curious what you mean by not having plans to go softly into the night. That seems to be my resolve as well. This waiting game has totally changed my position. I absolutely do not mind your comments!!

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