This last week I did a lot of waiting. I waited in an actual “waiting room.” I waited in the drive through for a coffee. I waited to receive an important email. I got caught behind 2, not 1 but 2, oversized trucks hauling houses in 1 day! I waited and waited and waited!
Have you ever had a week like that? How did you respond to it all? Were you nervous? Were you excited? Did you get angry? Did you use your time waiting wisely or did you find excuses? How well do you actually wait?
For some reason I’ve really reflected on “waiting” when I was at the hospital during my friend’s surgery. We got there at 11am - surgery was at 12:30pm…. or so she was told, only to find out when she showed up that they had rescheduled it to 3pm! She finally was taken into surgery at 5:30. Oh my! She was hangry (Yes, I said HANGRY - Hungry + Angry)! It was a long afternoon. Luckily, there were a couple of us there to make her feel comfortable and laugh and joke around until she was actually called back. So, the first purpose I was given for waiting that day was to calm my friend’s nerves. After she was taken back, I was able to reunite and talk a bunch with her sweet family. It was good. It kept us from worrying too much about her and it kept us from being nervous. I think being productive during wait time can keep your mind off of what you are waiting on and time seems to go faster. If you are by yourself in a situation like this, bring something to do. Write a letter, read a book, play a game on your phone…just do something! Worrying and waiting is never a good solution.
Similarly, I waited a LONG TIME in line in a drive through for a coffee this week. Now, the first thing I noticed was how long it took for the people inside to even ask the people in the cars ahead of me what they wanted. It was getting so frustrating! I was stuck and couldn’t get out of line even if I wanted to. It was a good thing I didn’t have to be somewhere at a specific time or I would have been late.I could tell that I was about to just blurt something negative out when it hit me. What if there was an emergency inside and I was out here getting angry and blaming the workers. I shook my head and felt ashamed. This situation was definately an example of a huge “first world” problem and I needed to get over myself. I took a deep breath and started making a mental list of things I was grateful for: my faith, my family, my home, my marriage, me being able to even afford a fancy coffee, my freedom, and it went on and on. I told myself not to stop until I actually gave my order to the voice in the speaker! This activity made the time go by so much faster and pulled me out of my spoiled, impatient attitude. I am actually planning on keeping a paper and pen in my car for next time.
What makes us feel like we need everything RIGHT NOW? If we got everything when we actually wanted it, how would we learn patience? If we got the job immediately, would we realize how we could do better in an interview? If we had our families and lives exactly how we planned them out on paper, where would the fun and adventure lie? I believe things happen to us for a reason WHEN they are supposed to happen to us and we grow through the experiences. We are better people for waiting. Years ago there was a country song called “Unanswered Prayers.” I truly believe sometimes we pray and wait for things to happen that are never in the cards for us and it is ok. We can learn from these situations.
Waiting can be hard, but it also can turn out to be the best situation ever! If we aren’t patient and always rush into the first opportunity that comes our way, we may miss out on a better one. Learn to handle your emotions when waiting. Be Patient! Don’t get angry - be productive! Have a plan when you get to wait for something. WHEN YOU GET TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING…. You never know how being patient might bring about endless possibilities! You got this! Don’t worry- the best is yet to come!
How do you handle being patient? If waiting on someone or something that is out of your control makes you angry, how do you deal with it ? How can you make it positive and get through the WAITING GAME? What can you or have you learned while waiting for something?