Time in Between

           I remember that summer very well.  I couldn’t have been more than ten which would make my brother eight and it was the beginning of a season full of opportunity.  It all began when my mom assigned me and my brother the task of making sure the Kool-Aid pitcher was always full.  A week or so went by quickly as Ben and I alternated between cherry red (which I always picked) and lemon lime (which was his favorite).  We consumed more Kool-Aid than seemed possible.  We had Kool-Aid straight up.  We had Kool-Aid on the rocks. And best of all, we made our own Kool-Aid popsicles with that weird shaped Tupperware contraption that converted liquid Kool-Aid into icy goodness.  And that is how the summer began. 

            It wasn’t long before we figured out that if we saved the UPC bar codes from the colorful packets, we could send them back to the company and receive awesome toys and gadgets and stuff that kids like us wanted just because it was free.  So, that summer Ben and I set our highest goal… Fifty bar codes would soon get us a spectacular Kool-Aid pitcher and four cups to match.  Now, let me say right here that the picture looked amazing with Mr. Kool-Aid man all decked out and four little Kool-Aid men to complete the set.  And it would only cost us fifty simple bar codes.

           So, Ben and I started saving. We couldn’t wait for the day when we could exchange our meager collection of used up Kool-Aid wrappers for an exquisite, china cabinet worthy set of our summer time desires.  We figured out, being the bright children that we were, that the more Kool-Aid we drank, the faster we would win the prize.  We drank. We had Kool-Aid for breakfast, Kool-Aid for lunch, Kool-Aid for dinner, and any time in between.  Finally, one day Ben simply stated, “I think we have it.”  Slowly we counted out the packets one by one with anticipation building as each colorful package was numbered.  And we sent them in. 

Then we waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

            We began planning how we would use these treasures. I began thinking how posh it would be to drink from the kid sized glasses.  Ben wanted to invite people over so we could serve them Kool-Aid.  Both of us were thinking how cool we were suddenly going to become.  We thought the day would never come.  We would wait outside until the mailman came each day, hoping that a box shaped package with our official names on it would be part of the bundle of letters that arrived each day.  Every time the UPS man passed by on our old country road, our hearts would flip flop, hoping upon hope that today might be the day.

           One day, the package came.  Reverently and patiently, we slowly used the kitchen scissors to slice the mailing tape away from the cardboard box.  We reached deep inside the packing peanuts to pull out the much waited for package.  Slowly, reality dawned on us both.  Inside this package was nothing but a cheap, plastic replica of a pitcher and four miniature plastic carbon copies.  To say the least, Ben and I were disappointed.  We had worked so hard and waited so long for this day. 

  

          I remember every day saying to each other, “I wonder if it will be today.”  I remember driving my mother crazy with the all consuming joy of coming home and saying, “Did it come? Did it come, yet?”  And suddenly, I realized that the true joy was the time in between.  From the moment we began collecting Kool-Aid packets to the moment of ecstasy when the package arrived, that was the feeling I wanted to keep.

        Life as an adult is like this, too.  How many times have I said, “I just can’t wait until the weekend.”  “I just can’t wait until vacation.”  “I wish it was fall because this heat is killing me.” I think I can generalize and say that we all do this.  We are so busy looking forward to some epic event that we lose all the time in between. We miss the little things like the camaraderie that my brother and I built while working toward a common goal.  We miss the anticipation of every bright, new day.  We forget to seize the day. 

         

   I find that it all comes down to appreciation.  Appreciation is a hug from a client. A note from a family member. A kiss from a niece.  Appreciation is dropping a letter to a long lost friend.    Appreciation is looking up to the sky whether it is cloudy or sunny and saying a simple “thank you.”  Appreciation is giving back when you have nothing left to give.

            I think that it is high time that we all stop taking and start giving a little.  It is time for us to appreciate each other not just for the ways we are alike but for the ways we are different.  Because one day, when Mr. Kool-Aid comes in the mail, it won’t matter that what we received was so far from our expectations.  Because joy is found in the time between.