Light crept through the windows this morning, announcing a new day. As much as I tried to deny that it was time to get up, I knew the minutes were ticking by. Soon enough, my kids would be awake and they would be the sole focus of my attention. He came so close to realizing every athlete’s dream. Almost. But if he had made the team, would he be here with me, now? Taking turns sticking our arms, elbow-deep, into a laboring pig? Going through the minutiae of our daily lives? Or would he be somewhere else, still ensconced in the world of an Olympic-class athlete? If he had made The Team of all Teams, he wouldn’t have moved back to his home town after the trials, or gone to college across the street from my office. We wouldn’t have spent our lunch hours getting to know each other, never would have fallen in love.
So I got up. Made the bed, started a load of laundry. Showered, cleaned the tub, the toilet, the sink. Brushed my teeth, got dressed, swept the floor. As I made breakfast I heard Blythe cry out from her room and I jumped, startled. I hadn’t realized, until that moment, that I was still half asleep. I smiled a little, in acknowledgment of how following my morning routine was almost like getting a half hour of extra sleep. Almost.
It’s an interesting word, almost. At once it can imply dodging a bullet or the beginning of deep regret. Parents whose child almost didn’t make it live with the utmost respect for the word. A doctor who loses a patient carries ‘almost‘ heavily upon her shoulders.
As the Olympics pervade our daily lives, there are constant instances of almost. Occasionally as we watch, I steal a look at Jeremy and wonder if he is reliving the Olympic Trials of 1996. He almost made the US Olympic Wrestling Team, losing two one point matches. On the other hand, those who made it instead of him almost didn’t – it’s a matter of perspective.
Almost.
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10 replies on “Almost”
for something this good it was meant to be so it might of been a different road but i think we would have still found each other
Um, I’m sorry. I got a little distracted. You stuck your arm WHERE??!
Sounds to me like he won something more valuable than a medal of any color. I love a good love story.
Almost. That can be one of the best words ever. Can’t it?
I love this post. It seems like it is about losing so that you can actually win.
I am really enjoying your blog! I found you via LiteralDan.
Very interesting post… I’d never thought of how much importance that word can have.
BTW, I’m coming from allmediocre… you sent me an email about the tomatoes and I never replied… because i lost the email. I am so sorry! I don’t mind that it’s taking awhile, you’re right Id rather have them fresh than not lol. Anyways, I didn’t intentionally ignore you.. life is just crazy lately
What an interesting concept. It made me think about all the ‘almosts’ that we don’t even realize are happening, every second. Really cool post – and I think it’s pretty incredible that he went to the trials.
It’s so weird to think of “what ifs” and different roads in life. There’s a movie, Sliding Doors, about that. Sometimes even simple choices lead to huge facets of your life. For example I was thinking the other day that if Heather and I hadn’t felt so frisky the nightwe concieved Maddie she wouldn’t be here. We very easily could have just gone to sleep, you know! A simple choice that lead to this amazing little person!
Wow…this post is awesome. It’s so crazy to think about all the “Sliding Doors” in life. All the paths we could have taken, but didn’t, the paths that lead us to where we are now. I always say, would you choose a different path if the destination would ultimately be different as well? In this case, I don’t think so!