Worth The Wait

 It was Mother's Day, and my own mom had decided that she wanted to go for lunch at a favorite restaurant nearby that we hadn't been to in awhile. And believe me when I say, this place is unique! It's definitely your old-timey grandma's kitchen, country diner place that just gives you the cozy vibes when you walk in. The food is to die for but what they're really known for is the clever, humorous signs they've got up all over the restaurant walls. The signs refer to everything from food to fishing to marriage to plain stupidity. It's hilarious! Basically, this space is a one-of-a-kind experience, and I totally get why mom wanted to go there. Then she invited a dear friend and widow in our church who was going to be moving soon to be closer to her family. She didn't have Mother's Day plans that day, so we included her in ours. 

Not surprisingly, however, upon arrival, we could see the place was packed! On Sundays, the restaurant closes at 3pm, so everyone was trying to get into the diner. The wait was around forty-minutes to an hour, and we all looked at each other to see if we wanted to wait that long. Lots of others were waiting outside and inside for a table, also. But we chose to wait it out for a couple of reasons: 1) for the sheer adventure and experience, and 2) our friend didn't think she'd ever been here and this was probably our last chance to take her. Holding out for a table was worth it to us, and none of us had anywhere else to be. Were we going to be starving by the time we got a table? Probably. But the novelty of the moment and the added time of being together, knowing a goodbye was coming soon, made it worthwhile. 

As we sat there waiting for a table, we laughed, people-watched, read funny signs out loud, reminisced about old times together, and just appreciated one of our last opportunities to hang out before life changed for our friend and us. And I watched others come in, find out the wait time, then walk right back out, too much in a hurry to linger and wait. I get it that they might have legitimately been on a tight schedule, but it reminded me of how fast our world is moving these days... to the point where we don't know how to handle boredom or how to linger in a moment and be where our feet are. We are always rushing about everywhere, and we've lost the ability to be still and take in the gift of what we're living. 

For some time now, I've consciously made the decision to slow down the game of life and be more present. To focus my body, my thoughts, and my soul on being all here instead of feeling like I cannot enjoy right now because too much of life is calling for my attention. I've given myself permission to enjoy the moment because I've had to be reminded too many times in the past that tomorrow isn't promised for any of us. What you're experiencing right this minute may honestly be the last thing your eyes see. You never know. So why would we want to be somewhere - anywhere - else when there is a miracle happening exactly where we are! 

Lunch was delicious that day, and it also made me pause regarding another truth about waiting: I think the food was even tastier and more satisfying because we waited for it, not in spite of it. The fact that it wasn't to our table in a flash twenty minutes after sitting down gave us more time to talk, read more funny signs, and enjoy the moment. It reminded me of another eating experience I'd had with my family years before in a tiny Italian restaurant in a small, California community. The dining journey forced you to savor every bite and really take in all the flavors and, thanks to that, we still talk about that dinner all this time later. See, the reality is, once you begin to live intentionally - to be purposeful about your moments and your days and the people you get to live them with - everything starts to become a gift, a living miracle. You stop rushing through your life like it's something to just get through and instead, you want to make it last because you know the end is coming for all of us and we only get one shot at seeing this beautiful world and appreciating our time in it. 

Memories are how our brains and bodies mark time, so if we're too busy to make memories, we lose our sense of how the years pass. Of where the minutes are ticking by. We waste and rush past all these miracles happening under our nose and miss the fact that God is speaking through them all. If we don't let ourselves stop from time to time, we can't catch what's taking place in real time - God's time. And what's more, we can't hear Him at all, for He is always speaking.

It's true that there are many pressing concerns and responsibilities we all face. And it's also true that we need to be good stewards of those matters and show up for life as needed. But it's equally real that not all of life has to be treated like it's an emergency. Not all the problems that pop up need to be all-consuming. Not all the invitations need accepting. Not all the notifications need responding. Not all the opportunities need to be taken. Sometimes it's okay to just simply... be. To pause and allow our bodies, minds, and souls to catch up to ourselves. To be in a moment with those we love and the earth God has created. To set aside the phones and chaos and noise and news demanding our attention and just live a little. Be present. Let all your senses take in all of the things that make that moment special. Because the truth is that you'll never get it back. You will never get to live a moment exactly like that again.