One of my favorite television programs of all time was Friday Night Lights. If you’re unfamiliar, it revolved around the lives of people in small town Texas and high school football. Well, my life revolves around a mid sized Kentucky city and junior varsity girls’ soccer.
It’s Friday night and my husband and I are sitting in our living room, with newly arranged furniture, as we had to get rid of our futon. It served us well, lasting over 17 years. We placed it on our curb. The mattress went first. A few hours later, the frame went to a new home. I sincerely hope the takers realize the frame was busted.
Anyway, I’m off subject. We’re sitting in our living room, husband Chip watching a preseason football game featuring the Packers [our team]. We took our son to college on Wednesday, so he’s in absentia. Our daughter, the socialite of the family, will soon be home from a soccer team swim party. When she arrives, the three of us will most likely tune back into a movie we started last night. Until then, well….I suppose I’m stuck with the background noise of a football game.
We, as in our family, are suddenly in a new season. And while I haven’t had a full fledged breakdown because of the changes, I find myself more melancholy than usual. I find myself wondering what to do, how to respond, where to head. Waiting and curious as to if I’ll start bawling uncontrollably at an inopportune time.
So much of life is waiting. Waiting for our kids to get home. Waiting to find out who wants what for dinner. Waiting to get all the information so you can make an informed decision. Waiting for the library book I placed on hold to get to my branch.
It’s Friday night but it’s still light. It’s that time of year. It’s not quite fall; really it’s still summer, despite school starting and all the activity that goes along. And we wait. Wait for the cool crispness and falling leaves. Wait to find out if our son absolutely loves university life or if it’s only a waiting game to achieve a professional goal. Or maybe something in between. Waiting to find if our daughter can’t get enough soccer or if it will be simply tolerated until October, or if she’ll embrace teamwork like nothing she ever has before. Waiting to find out how long a beagle actually lives. Waiting to see how the Packers look on the field. Waiting to see how many years I’ll be able to wake up and run two miles.
Meanwhile, the girl just walked in the door. Sporting a swimsuit and soccer shorts with a school issued soccer bag, which is new {to her}. She seems happy. And now interested in the Packer game. What is happening here? Does this mean waiting until tomorrow night for the rest of the movie?
Upon a Sunny Day 