On the first of February, 27 days after Haiti experienced the horrific earthquake a twenty-eight year old man was pulled from the rubble. He was a market vendor who made his daily living selling rice and had just finished his day when the earthquake shook Port-au-Prince. He was isolated underground, surrounded by rubble. Yet, he managed to survive on fruit and water that he was able to find. He sustained minor injuries, yes, but he waited for 27 days to see daylight…27 days to smell fresh air and feel safe…27 days to see another human being. 27 days is an incredibly long time to wait.
Waiting creates such an interesting array of emotions. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for this young man. The uncertainty of what was to come, wondering whether he would ever be able to reclaim the life he had worked to build. The human spirit is so resilient! It amazes me daily, because it is always there in the stories I hear and the little ones I observe. Even when people are unsure of what will come next or when they are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sometimes I wonder how my soul would react to living such a life of uncertainty. Would I allow myself to be pulled in whatever direction fate handed me or would I push back and make my own way? Sometimes I really do no know.
There are many unknown factors that surround my move and waiting for responses about Plan A has been very unsettling. I do not enjoy sitting in this place…waiting. But, I have had some news and that means that a decision is in my sights. Making those last decisions will make it real. I have started sharing this news with friends and co-workers. This means that in the near future I will be saying goodbyes – something that I did not really allow to settle. These thoughts do not outweigh my excitement about what is coming, but my heart is starting to hurt with the thoughts of leaving loved ones behind. Still, there is nothing I can do yet. There is nothing that I can allow my heart to settle on just yet. At this point all I can do is wait.
