Once upon a lost toy.
My refrigerator won’t arrive until January 24th. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, but my previous model gave its last shiver back in October...then we waited for the Black Friday sales to order a new one and we were told it would take six weeks for delivery. We hunkered down with the barest of essentials crammed into our “party fridge” located in the laundry room and counted the days until the big, new, shiny model would grace our kitchen.
Delivery day was supposed to be last Sunday but here I am, no chill. It seems they lost our refrigerator and the entire waiting process resets for another six weeks. Meanwhile, the day before the new toy, I mean...very important and serious appliance, was set to arrive Tripp began preparing the space where it would reside.
He moved out the old fridge – storing it smack dab in the middle of our main living space because hey...it was exiting stage left soon, he swept and mopped floors that are so hard to reach most of the time, and even wiped down the walls. Everything was fresh and clean for the big arrival. Since that space remained empty after I expected it to be filled, I paused as I passed by to ponder...is this what Advent is supposed to be?
I think sometimes the term Advent is bandied about with the same frivolity as, “holidays, Christmas, or cookies.” Maybe it’s just me on that last one...regardless, we celebrate Advent with songs, silence, and candles but maybe we don’t always pause to consider what real Advent looks like in January or June or on a random Tuesday.
I looked up the definition of Advent and read, “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event” (Google) and thought, “huh.” I love how each week of Advent holds a different significance: hope, peace, joy, and love. I love that the time spent during Advent draws us closer to the arrival of Christ, most certainly a notable person, thing, or event. What I don’t love is how often that time is a blink crowded into the craziness of parties, plays, and partially completed to do lists.
Further, I realize Advent shouldn’t be four weeks, but instead my constant feelings of faith, counting down the days until the return of my very important personal savior. Maybe Advent has become more about the useless refrigerator towering over my living space and less about the quiet little corner, empty and prepared for something big. That old refrigerator is my focus every time I pass by...it crowds my vision and adds stress, not peace, to my life. It doesn't fulfill its purpose and yet, there it is...taking center stage.
Maybe it’s time to stare at that tucked away, empty spot for a bit longer and think about how to pause my own hectic life in preparation for something more important than tasks and tangents. Maybe it’s time to celebrate Advent, not Advent season. Maybe the wait for my new refrigerator was worth it after all.