By Carolyn Dickman
Our train from Chicago to Toledo was an hour and a half late and my idea was to doze in a chair, but my traveling companion, Wide-Awake-Peggy, thought we should stand in line and wait. I suspect she didn’t want to be embarrassed by my snoring.The Many Ways People Wait
I love to watch people…I had my own people zoo in the train station. You can find these human zoos wherever people can be seen waiting. I saw “bands” of drumming fingers and tapping toes, picnicking under the stairwell, grousing, and bickering (one woman all but put her nose in her husband’s mouth because she didn’t believe he hadn’t gone to the bar to pass the time). I heard loud complaining about the tardy train. I also saw people reading, doing puzzles, and parents playing with their children.There are lots of ways to wait, but most of us have become bad at waiting because we are used to things moving so fast. We get anxious when we have to wait because we don’t know how to do it properly.
Where Did All the Free Time Go?
In the “60’s” time management experts predicted that by the millennium we would have four-day work weeks, more leisure time. It seems the opposite is the case. Now we rush through everything and work longer hours. As we invent newer and better time savers we add more activities, involvement and duties. People conduct business in their cars, on elevators, at lunch on trains, planes…Time Saving Technology
We have fast food, instant potatoes, and bed in a bag. Remember when we started creating dinner at 10 a.m.? We baked bread, stuffed chickens and picked the fruit for a pie. Remember when we planted potatoes? Remember when we took the time to make the pillow case decorations and the quilt? (It’s almost birthday time for me and I certainly am showing my age.) Remember when you typed your term paper on a typewriter? Times are different. Now we have word processors that can instantly correct our spelling without white out, AND the darn thing even makes grammar suggestions.Nothing is Ever Fast Enough
Have you noticed fast isn’t ever fast enough? We still pound that poor little mouse if the machine takes longer to perform than we expect because we get anxious and impatient waiting for it to work. We have the fastest cars ever and still I calculate just how many miles OVER the speed limit I can set the cruise and NOT get a ticket. (By the way, that didn’t work out very well.)Finding Healthy Ways to Wait
Waiting seems to be a part of everyday life. Perhaps we should find a strategy for waiting that is healthy. Examples: make lists, Sudoku books, wordfinder books, notes, poetry, plans on paper, deep breathing, and singing (in the car only). We could use the time for personal reflection. I find great value in keeping notebooks in my car, purse and beside my bed (so handy when “waiting” to fall asleep).Get Better at Waiting through Practice
How do we get good at anything? Practice! Practice waiting; do it on purpose. Choose the longest line, let someone go in front of you, smile at three people while waiting, slow your mind with calm, soothing statements to get better at waiting without impatience or anxiety. “I am great at waiting. I use my time well. I am calm. There is no emergency. I wait great.” Choose your attitude toward waiting.Hey, hold that elevator for me…I’ve got to run, Carolyn
