Waiting

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For most of us waiting, or having to wait, equals lost time. Time spent doing nothing while we would rather have done something. Sometimes that is something work related ~ especially when we are really busy and can use all the time we have. Waiting can then throw us off our game and send our schedule spiraling out of control. Other times we would rather have done something fun, something relaxing ~ yet here we find ourselves waiting.

Often when we find ourselves waiting it is a matter of timing. For that appointment to start; or for participants in a meeting to arrive. And truth be told, when any number of people have to wait starting a meeting because one person hasn’t arrived yet ~ especially if that person is known to be ‘always late’ ~ that is a little annoying...

There is also another kind of waiting ~ a kind that perhaps has more to do with time, rather than with timing. For instance waiting for the first warm day of Spring or Summer. Or waiting for the time when that birthday party is finally going to happen. Waiting for a vacation, for coming home, for starting that new job, for Christmas... We have all times throughout the year that we really like and we ‘can’t wait’ until that specific time finally arrives...

This kind of waiting has a greater sense of anticipation associated with it.
As a child we were counting the nights until our birthday would arrive ~ and with it the special attention and the presents ~ and the closer that day came, the greater our anticipation of how good it was going to be!
In a sense one could say that this type of ‘waiting’ is a journey in itself. And instead of letting our impatience build up; allowing our irritation to grow ~ in short seeing it as something that is plain wrong ~ we can look at it as a journey we are taking until we arrive at that moment where time and the anticipated event come together ~ our arrival, in a sense.
When we have built anticipation rather than stress, that ‘arrival’ is filled with happiness.

That doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t call that person on being always late for meetings; having a stern conversation in order to make clear what (if any) the consequences are for future tardiness.
It does mean, however, that when we are looking at waiting as a journey in and of itself, we don’t get stressed quite as much when we have to wait for something.

We are more apt to start looking what a few moments of waiting have to offer us ~ to see where this particular journey may be taking us...
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