I don’t know why this has happened. I’m not even sure if it matters.
My Nana taught me not to walk through my day worrying about the unknown. Rather, I should purpose to walk in what I KNOW. What I know in my head and heart is simple. This is an intermission.
What we choose to do during intermission will determine so much of how things are perceived when intermission comes to a close. If you’ve ever been to a Broadway Production – or even a local Theatre Production, you know what I mean.
Intermission can be a time of standing, stretching, checking in with the sitter, taking a picture with your friends or a date, powdering your nose, a time of concessions or refreshments, and engaging in conversations about the show. Or, you can do what I did once. I was at a Broadway Show in NYC the year a Blizzard shut down Broadway. We lost tickets to more than one show due to a Snow Quarantine. BUT, when the town opened back up, I hit the box offices in person. I scored four second-row seats to CHICAGO – like, what just happened? The show was amazing. Act one had me jumpin’ and jivin’ and then it was intermission. The curtain went down and the lights came up.
What did I do? I just sat there doing absolutely nothing. I decided to keep my seat, y’all. I avoided any form of interaction while pondering the length of the line that might exist in the ladies’ room. I sat in my second-row seat considering how smart I was because I didn’t wade through the crowd to potentially stand in a long line for refreshments.
Then, the lights flickered as a sign of the curtain going back up for Act Two. And I still needed to pee. As people began taking their seats, the lights dimmed, the curtain rose, and I realized I wasted all that intermission time based on something I didn’t know. Everyone else was seemingly comfortable. They took action steps to prepare for what was next. and I just sat there. I sat there for the duration of the production – thirsty, needing to stretch, and desperately regretting being unprepared!
During this Intermission and time of social distancing I am purposing myself to rest, work, write, grow plants (so far, so good), make phone calls to friends, hit Zoom meetings when I’m invited, purge my mind and home, and listen for what I am preparing for. There’s so much we do not know. The Intermission has brought a gift of time. I like the slow flow of things. I miss my people and I have concerns I share with my Lovey and my Lord.
But, I am not just sitting here during the Intermission. Nope! I learned my lesson! Because I don’t have any idea what the next season will look like, I am preparing myself for whatever happens. I am connecting digitally with other believers and praying constantly. It comforts me to see a friend’s face on my phone screen. We all need comfort in this season! Where do YOU find comfort?
“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, The Bible, KJV
