We Keep On Waiting
Waiting is rarely fun. To leave a person waiting is utterly disrespectful; to wait in line is mind numbingly boring; to wait tables is frustratingly unrewarding. Not a day goes by without my rerouting a path so as to avoid a wait. Let me be clear. I am not on some covert mission to save the world nor do I have back to back engagements. But like I said, waiting is rarely fun, even for one who doesn't like fun.
Unfortunately, no matter how much we try to avoid it, waiting is (rampant and) invincible in our lives. Speeding through the tail end of an amber only means waiting at a red at the next intersection. The waiting game is one of the most difficult. No strategy, no getting ahead, no cheating. Just patience.
Obviously, waiting is not always the final answer. This world is not one in which opportunity is constantly knocking on our doors and falling into our laps. We have to work. We can shorten the wait. But at some point, it is out of our hands. As much as we would like to think that life is just a melange of pawns for us to move, it's simply not true. We cannot push a decision, an action, an emotion. Wait and see, just like everyone else. Forcing things never worked for anyone (Newton aside).
While I may be someone who avoids the day to day waiting, I've done quite a bit of the long-term. And expect to do much more in my life. The good news is, there's a trick.
Our metaphorical waiting room is nothing like that in a pediatrician's office. We are not confined to a hard bench watching naive toddlers rock back and forth on a horse unaware that the Snoopy "sticker" they are about to receive is only going to come after a needle. There are a million and one things we can be doing with our lives rather than staring at a countdown for 720 hours 41 minutes and 36 seconds. We don't need to be harping on one wait when instead, we can distract ourselves by not waiting for something else.
I know they say that good things come to those who wait. But even better things come to those who fill the waiting time with rich life experiences. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but who says we can't bring a candle when we travel through?
Unfortunately, no matter how much we try to avoid it, waiting is (rampant and) invincible in our lives. Speeding through the tail end of an amber only means waiting at a red at the next intersection. The waiting game is one of the most difficult. No strategy, no getting ahead, no cheating. Just patience.
Obviously, waiting is not always the final answer. This world is not one in which opportunity is constantly knocking on our doors and falling into our laps. We have to work. We can shorten the wait. But at some point, it is out of our hands. As much as we would like to think that life is just a melange of pawns for us to move, it's simply not true. We cannot push a decision, an action, an emotion. Wait and see, just like everyone else. Forcing things never worked for anyone (Newton aside).
While I may be someone who avoids the day to day waiting, I've done quite a bit of the long-term. And expect to do much more in my life. The good news is, there's a trick.
Our metaphorical waiting room is nothing like that in a pediatrician's office. We are not confined to a hard bench watching naive toddlers rock back and forth on a horse unaware that the Snoopy "sticker" they are about to receive is only going to come after a needle. There are a million and one things we can be doing with our lives rather than staring at a countdown for 720 hours 41 minutes and 36 seconds. We don't need to be harping on one wait when instead, we can distract ourselves by not waiting for something else.
I know they say that good things come to those who wait. But even better things come to those who fill the waiting time with rich life experiences. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but who says we can't bring a candle when we travel through?
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