In the waiting room

In the waiting room. This track is for the minutes before an appointment, or before a result. The waiting is often harder than the thing itself. Eyes stay open, so you hear your name when it is called.

Feet flat on the floor. Feel the chair under you.

Let the hands rest on the thighs, or on the bag. Let them be still, or let them fidget. Either is fine.

Breathe out, slowly, a little longer than the breath in.

Again.

Notice what the waiting is doing in the body. A tight stomach, a fast heart, a dry mouth. That is the body getting ready. It is not a sign of what the result is going to be.

Look around the room, slowly. The floor. A poster. The door. Someone else waiting, who is probably feeling something like this too.

Whatever is behind that door, you do not have to know it yet. For these few minutes, your only job is to sit here and breathe out.

Breathing out.

When your name is called, stand up slowly, and take one more breath out on the way in.