Patient Waiting

Even without a baby, we, as humans, tend to have random profound moments straight out of the mundane. 

I had such just a few minutes ago…

I heard her whimper in her bassinet about 3am. Having been the one who slept perhaps an hour or 3 earlier, my body shot up faster from sleep and I gathered her in my arms. I knew exactly what to do… feed her, burp her, lull her to sleep so we could all keep sleeping. “Easy.”

Suddenly, in that very moment, there was the need to pee. Having built a strong water-drinking habit from my pregnancy cum UTI-risk days, continued with the same habit post delivery to help with breastmilk production, and the sheer need to stay hydrated in this harmattan, it wasn’t weird that I needed to empty my bladder.

But then I had a baby inching towards screaming point in my arms. And knowing how hard it’s been to lull her to sleep after she’s crossed screaming point, I attended to her instead. Waking up an already-exhausted Ariel who had manned our “fort” a few hours before would have been too much trouble — and perhaps too late in trying to avoid screaming point. 

Surprisingly, we ended up having a no-fuss session that was completed in under 30mins! I mean! Fed? Burped? And asleep? That could qualify for a Christmas miracle! (Yes, I’m still counting the 12 days of Christmas on the Orthodox Christian calendar — it’s not over yet 😂)

As I washed my hands after I had laid her down and had finally emptied my full bladder, the profound thought came to me. The thought itself being even more simple than the events surrounding it but absolutely profound to me because of how simply it pieced itself into this moment:

• Wait a little, be patient in your wait and have the right attitude for your urgent priorities at that moment in time 
• Good will definitely come — don’t lose sight of delayed opportunities in your wait, but don’t get worked up about them, just keep working towards them 

I waited my turn to pee, I did the needful for Naa Ameley with the right attitude, eventually good did come to both situations and it definitely felt good. Imagine if I grumbled my way through it? Attitude is everything… 

I think these points are dear to me now as I think through what I can feasibly pursue during my maternity leave. They add up for me considering what I put on hold during pregnancy to help me relax better to carry Naa Ameley well. They definitely are profound to me as I make life choices that can affect my employment and how I make money off my other passions…

… and I hope somehow they are eye-opening to you too. Freeing you to prioritise pragmatically and wait patiently while you do so. Because in all honesty, only we have the power to kill our dreams, no one else does. 

Naa Ameley, I hope you grow up seeing your Mum pursue her various passions and be good at them eventually. I hope you keep seeing your Dad never give up and excel after every set back. I hope you’re inspired to chase your own dreams, making pragmatic decisions along the way as you #CommitNOTDreamSuicide… 

… I hope, I pray… our Naa Ameley….

4:13am

1st Baby Diaries || Tuesday, 4th January, 2022 || 1 calendar month, 10 days