This weekend, I received the news that one of my beloved family members was rushed into the hospital. All weekend, my family and I have been sitting in the ICU waiting room, waiting to hear a change in our loved one's condition. It's definitely been a rough journey for all of us, but I learned to make the most out of being in a waiting room all weekend. There's so much room for activities!
1. Bring an entire library!
So far, I've read most of "Bloodchild" and a little bit of "Spoon River Anthology." Bring books that will keep you entertained. Any story from the "Sherlock Holmes" collection is always fun to read because Sherlock is so wonderfully sassy. I swear, I was Sherlock in my past life. I sort of channeled Rihanna and read, read, read, read, read a lot this weekend.
2. Encourage your mom to take selfies.
I think Mom's expression says it all. I'm used to speaking at rock concert decibels, so this was hard for me, too. Then again, when you live in a women dominated family, this rule is difficult to follow, especially when you have all eight of us in the waiting room.
3. Discuss the important things in life with the fam.
Aside from discussing the health of our loved one, we talk about other critically important things like: who wants snacks? What's for dinner? Can we order pizza? Why does the Wi-Fi suck? What actually is that person across the room wearing?
4. Stare longingly and romantically at the vending machine.
All of the things that are bad for you, right in one place. The things you tried to avoid snacking on will haunt you for the next seven hours. Don't you go anywhere, Mr. Peanut Butter M&Ms. I'll come back for you and rescue your cousins, Mr. Crunch Bar and Mr. Snickers. Mrs. Milky Way, you're not helping me.
5. Go to the nearest store and buy your mom a giant princess coloring book.
When your mom's exact words were, "I need a princess coloring book and colored pencils," you stifle a laugh, walk to the grocery store and find her the cutest coloring book they have. Along with playing cards, tea and an ice cream cone shaped sugar cookie from Starbucks. You don't argue, and you ignore the stares of people low-key judging you for having two Starbucks drinks in your hand.
6. Make yourself puzzled.
Do all of the puzzles! Get frustrated 30 pieces in! Become overwhelmed and ask yourself what the heck you were thinking! You were lured by the pretty pictures and now you're trapped. This is it. This is the apocalypse.
7. Take in the "local" art scene.
Finding these gems around the hospital are always interesting, because it seems all hospitals have images exactly like this one. It's supposed to be soothing and calm and add pops of color to the otherwise sterile atmosphere, though I suppose if you're in grief, these little beauties go unnoticed.
8. Explore the thriving "metropolis" from your window.
Also known as "the parking lot," but this was too cool not to photograph.
So there you have it: Things to do in a hospital waiting room while you're waiting to hear the status of your loved one's health condition. Hospitals, a scary place (at least to me), don't have to be a scary place for you. By finding ways to entertain yourself, you'll shift your focus and be able to relax.
