Hospitals, airports and fast-food restaurants are not designed to spend a lot of time in. I have spent my fill in a hospital this week, all to see my dad get a new lease on life.
There is a transient quality about these places. They really aren't a destination, just places we pass through on the way to where we're really headed. Even the decor is designed to not allow us to get too comfortable. The chairs aren't cushy; the colors are dull and uninspiring. The designers are challenged to create spaces that make you want to spend as little time in there as possible--hopefully just enough time to get back on track and into the bustle of life.
So many different stories surround me here in this hospital waiting room tonight. Some families look exhausted, waiting for word on a loved one. Some receive bad news and the pain is painted on each face. I am glad that my dad, though in a very serious predicament with an aortic aneurism, is expected to walk out of this place in a few days--a better, healthier version of himself--ready to travel to his new home in Tennessee with Brenda and me.
I think the greatest destination for me is home. I will go through all kinds of stuff to get there. There's nothing like the first whiff of home after walking in the door from a long trip. I am grateful that at the end of my day, with all of its challenges, I am safe, sound and at rest there.
Thank God I don't have to spend more than a few days here in this transient place. Getting dad home is why I endure. Like with airports, I am fine with them until a flight is delayed and quick journey turns into a burden. I anticipate a quick recovery and a safe trip back to Spring Hill. We'll be home soon.
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