Life, Interrupted

Gina’s got a great name for her website, “Writer…Interrupted.” I can identify with those two words, as I’m sure that every writer and blogger can, too. JUST when you are about to discover the PERFECT phrase to capture the essence of your work-in-progress, someone yells, “Mommmmmyy! I have to go potty!” and the inspiration evaporates into thin air. Not again!

This week I was reminded of the things that can happen to interrupt not just a “passionate pursuit,” but life itself. A friend’s husband had surgery and everything in my friend’s life stopped so she could care for him. Someone at church lost a loved one. Another is battling a serious illness. That’s “Life, Interrupted.”

I thought of how frustrated I get when I get interrupted from my train of thought or from my pre-planned day, and feel a little ashamed. These friends would probably give anything to “just” deal with my inconveniences, and yet I have been ungrateful for the kind of life that offers up only minor annoyances.

I’m learning that some of the best moments in life happen when I stop being angry about the interruptions and learn to embrace them. Perhaps some better planning can eliminate some of the unnecessary stop-downs, but often the sweetest things happen when I’m willing to put aside “my” time to answer the call of an unexpected knock on my mental door.

I’ve seen gorgeous cloud formations at the urgent beckoning of my son. “You’ve gotta see this!”

I’ve had important conversations with my daughters about love and life.

I’ve wiped bottoms and teardrops (usually not at the same time).

I’ve cooked dinner and made cookies, watched movies and folded laundry.

I’ve turned off the computer to focus on my husband’s need to see more than the back of my head.

You see, it’s in the interruptions that real life happens.

As we start another busy school year, I want to create more margin in my life for interruptions. Instead of packing my schedule so full that I can barely squeeze in time for a shower, I want to leave room for the unexpected. The unannounced. The uninvited.

Maybe I’ll start to see those interruptions as a chance for serendipities to happen and opportunities to discover new things. It all comes down to seeing an exclamation point at the end of the sentence.

“Life, Interrupted!”