Drum-rolls

i learned something new today...  men get epidurals too. 

"in the spirit of murses, bromance, and man-girdles, the procedure formally reserved for women in labor now is available in a gender-neutral environment.  life is good."

those were my thoughts as i climbed onto the table in the doctor's office.  he was about to do a lumbar epidural in order to relieve pain and burning in my thighs and legs.  as i lay there face down, i hear chattering voices sharing their weekend plans.   within ten minutes, it was over...  drama-free.   and i went home to wait 48-72 hours for some relief to come. 

it's been 20 hours.  nada.

the worse part of waiting is...  well...   waiting.  it's where hope and anxiety and excitement and fear exist.  being there many times before, i have developed some tolerance for the anticipation.  yet, each new waiting time is unique because the end result is not known..  yet.  

it's kind of like watching 'worst cooks in america'.  the contestants chop, peel, saute, cook, and plate their food.  and then they wait for the decision of the judges.  i sit there with compassion anxiety listening to the comments made by worried contestants... 'will the judge like what i prepared', 'i burned the carrots'!, 'will i be voted off the show?'.  come on judges.... finish the damn drum-roll and bring on the decision!!!!!

when the decisions are made, some smile and laugh and clap.  some hug in a ritual of mutual relief.  and two tear up knowing that they have been eliminated, they take off their aprons, and they walk off the set.  and for all, the episode ends. 

whoa!  down with the drama, stephen.  pa-leeze!

lesson learned:  no big epiphany.  no brand-new insight.  no sudden burst of enlightenment.  just a familiar and frequent event in life happens again, drum-rolls and all.  waiting is one of those things that we all know about; it's part of our common experience.  and we know that it will happen again...  very, very soon.