waiting

pete has a wretched rash on his belly and legs. i noticed it a couple nights ago and did what any sane, rational person would do - i googled it. the first website that popped up on the search told me that it was cancer. it was a message board where someone had described exactly what i saw on pete and asked what people thought it was. the first response read (no lie), "it's cancer. get him to a vet immediately!" i knew better than to begin worrying that pete had cancer, but i couldn't help but laugh a little at the absurdity that someone would perpetuate such fear.

my internet diagnosis attempt ended there. the next morning i made an appointment with the vet and took pete in that afternoon. it's merely a common skin irritation, most likely caused by an allergic reaction or the extreme heat we've been experiencing here in the carolinas. we were sent home with steroids, antibiotics, and a medicated shampoo.

i am so lucky that pete is a behaved bather. from day one he has loved getting his weekly bath. well, last night he wasn't quite so happy. i doused him with this medicated shampoo (which didn't suds up, so i'm sure i used entirely too much) and then made him sit in the bath for a long 15 minutes before rinsing him clean, just as the instructions indicated.

15 minutes to get through airport security is a breeze. 15 minutes for a dog soaking wet sitting in a bathtub is a lifetime.

he sat quietly for the first couple minutes, but then he got antsy. he looked at me with eyes begging for a release, but i came prepared for war. i pulled out a brand new rawhide bone and held it in the tub while he gnawed and wagged his tail. at 14 minutes he had grown tired of the bone and pushed to get out. he was struggling free, but i pushed back, holding him in the tub, determined that we would make it the full 15 minutes. at 14.45 he tried the sneak attack to escape, but i outsmarted him. i started the water again, rinsed him clean, dried him off, and set him free. he grabbed the rawhide and ran through the house, happy as a clam. you would have never known that i had just put him through hell.

waiting is no fun.

waiting for...
dinner to come out of the oven
a phone call from a potential employer
tickets for your favorite band to go on sale
your professor to post your final grade
the addiction to subside
miraculous healing of body or soul
the test to reveal a pregnancy
real honest unconditional love

i've heard it all the past few days. so many friends and students seem to be waiting for something and all will agree that it's not easy. it's hard to be patient while you're waiting for the next chapter of your life to unfold.

as tom petty sings, "the waiting is the hardest part".

but you know what makes waiting a little more bearable? good friends who will entertain you, support you, and yes, even restrain you in your time of waiting. friends who will outsmart you when you try to cheat and keep your feet planted when everything inside you is convincing you to run away.

this time, waiting for whatever it is - it is a gift. and we can choose to pout. or run. or give up. or we can choose to embrace the wait as part of the journey and accept the love and support of friends who help us get through til dinner is ready, the phone call comes through, healing occurs, motherhood begins, love sweeps us off our feet.

we are not defined by what we wait for, but in how we handle the journey to get there.