Waiting for that shoe

“Wait, don’t weight,” suggests Julia Child in her 1978 kitchen.(Lynn Gilbert/Commons.wikimedia.org)

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” (Julia Child)

Agreed.  

Mom always tried to hand out apple slices or carrots to keep her “starving” barbarians from ravaging the kitchen just before dinner. But we always suspected she herself grabbed a cookie while cooking….those oddly positioned far too conveniently on the shelf near the spice rack.

Is it coincidental that “waiting” and “wasting” are so close in sound and appearance?

“How much of human life is lost waiting?” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Whether it’s that seemingly endless time before dinner, or the hyper-energy charged hours just before daybreak on Christmas morning, or the breath stealing minutes between the lightning flash and the sound of thunder, or the surely-the-clock-has-broken crawl in a medical center waiting room.

Waiting does wears out its’ welcome. 

Who wouldn’t want to dance a jig with a pig? Wait! Tie those shoes on tight.(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

That waiting second shoe can drop either as twinkle toes or as “Oh, no’s”.

“Why don’t they have waiters in waiting rooms?” (George Carlin)

That would be so considerate. Upscale! (Attention corporate marketing departments)

Mom would just hand out another carrot stick. She never ran out of them…mainly because we never ate them….probably a huge pile of petrified orange logs in the fridge as a result.

Last week the other shoe dropped here. Spoiling hopes of a really happy holiday season without nagging medical concerns once again.

Wait! Knocked back, but not knocked out. 

December we’ll find out what the plan is. (Happy there is a “what’s next?” treatment.)

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.” (Morris West)

We’re set up to be holly jolly in any case.

The family gifts have been wrapped and boxes sent off. The tree is up (although there’s there’s one string of uncooperative lights requiring some investigation…maybe just tuck in a string of vintage bubble lights in that dark section?), and a couple of Cinnamon and Vanilla candles hauled out of the cabinet.

The pantry and freezer are stocked, so forays to the outside world can be limited (avoidance of crowds, hazardous germs, and one gotten-to-be-annoying-due-to-overuse holiday song.).

The Christmas CD’s here are stacked and ready.

“Serene, I fold my hands and wait.” (Michelangelo)

Well, not likely, Mike. (Unless those it’s-too-early, anti-holiday music people agree to silent nights for reading books instead of TV.)

If at first you don’t succeed, try, tie, and grin. 

“Dreaming is happiness. Waiting is life.” (Victor Hugo)

Wait-soothing Peppermint tea anyone?

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge

(Production note: Apologies in advance for erratic posting schedule and less than timely responses to comments. Thanks.)

“Darn. I thought he’d never agree to give up TV.”(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

 

 

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