The Waiting Place

taken from Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

The Waiting Place...for people waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

No!

That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape

all that waiting and staying.

You'll find the bright places

where Boom Bands are playing.

My mom worked for a college from the time I was in junior high until right before Abbey was born. When I was in high school, she was able to find me odd (but paying) jobs and I clearly remember the first summer that I worked in an office. It wasn't even for the whole summer, just a week or so, and I was miserable. The commute was long and involved a train. I remember peeling off my grown-up outfit one humid night thinking that there was no way I wanted to have a life like that when I was adult.

And look at me now. Stuck in The Waiting Place.

Although, I am a bit wiser in the fashion department. I mainly wear pants and go hoseless in the summer.

But still, this rat race is frustrating. Everyone is always in a rush, rush, rush and rude, rude, rude. Rich and I have taught our children that they have to wait in line when there is a line. I laugh and shake my head every. single. morning as I watch adults, who have decided to wait inside the train station until the train arrives, cut over to the side and step right in front of those of us who have been standing in the cattle pen. I guess they feel that they are entitled to cut everyone else. What morals are they teaching their children?

I know it may seem ridiculous but I often think of Anna and how physically difficult my commute would be for her as an adult. Some man walking behind me almost tripped me one night because he was in a BIG rush to get home. Aren't we all, Buddy?

Slight subject change....

Emily's payback for my Monday night shopping trip went down on Tuesday night. She refused to go to sleep. Every 15 minutes or so, I would hear her clinking the gate at the top of the stairs.

"Mommieeeeee. Mommieeeee."

"What is it, Emily? I'm trying to eat dinner."

"I can't fall asleep."

"Get in bed and close your eyes, please."

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of bad things."

"There are no bad things. Go to sleep."

"But I'm not cozy by myself."

My last trip upstairs was at 8:45. That's approximately an hour and a half after she is usually fast asleep. My mommy intuition kicked in at one point and I asked her if she was afraid that I was going to go somewhere and she said yes. I pointed out the pajamas I was wearing and assured her that, no, I wouldn't be leaving the house. Then the next morning she told me that she had been afraid that something was going to be in her sheets because Anna had made them watch a big kid show about a pet lizard who had gotten loose and was hiding in someone's sheets.

"When did you watch that show, Em?"

"A long time ago."

"And you're afraid of it now?"

"Yeah."

She's been extra clingy and comes into our room almost every night now. This has been going on for weeks and weeks. It has become a routine that I'm too tired to break. She awakens me and I sit up so that she can crawl past me into the middle of the bed. And having upgraded to a bed fit for a king has helped in this department. Anna's been slightly sick on and off and appears at my bedside almost every night as well. I usually bring Anna back to her bed and sleep in there with her because two kids half on top of me is too much.

There's something funky with the gutters on the side of the house near Anna's room so when it rains, all you hear is drip, drip, drip. The other night, Emily was already in the bed with me when Anna appeared. I walked back to her bed with her and climbed in. Drip, drip, drip. It was raining out.

I woke up at 3:00 and was able to sneak back into my own bed. I laughed because Emily had moved over and was sharing Rich's pillow with him which left me with more than half of the bed to myself.

So this is how musical beds is played. Anna reappeared at the side of my bed an hour later. I went back to her bed with her. Drip. Drip. Drip. Sarah Before wouldn't have been able to sleep with the dripping. Sarah Now is very tired and can sleep through some noise. I wasn't happy when Rich shook me awake at 6:15 and ended my dream. Johnny Rzeznik had asked me to be his personal CPA.

The girls are growing up so quickly and in a way, I don't mind the extra snuggle time at night. I sometimes look at them sleeping next to me and still can't believe that these are my little babies. I can't believe how lucky I am to have them in my life.

And I have to mention my big girl, Allie, who sleeps in her bed by herself every night. The other morning, she came in at 4:00, woke up Rich, gave him a hug and then went back to her own bed.

Unfortunately, some aspects of my life will most likely always be waiting for something. Not with the girls. We have Boom Bands playing here.....