Hurry Up and Wait

Resiliency is a life skill, offering those of us who use growth potential strategies (GPS) a way to become wiser, stronger, and better through times of challenge or opportunity. But strategies are not of the ready-fire-aim variety.

Responding to events in our lives actually requires patience—a virtue that I, as an extrovert, struggle to find. I offer these thoughts as we come closer to the end of this year, hoping that I can learn that wonderful ability introverts have to model patience and the gift of waiting.

In our sped-up world of hypertext, hyperspace, and hypertension, we might all do well to consider what happens when we are forced to wait. 

I find myself mulling over all those moments in which stillness takes precedence over activity. Indeed, it is in the quiet of waiting that our creativity, imagination, and dreams take place. Some waiting contains optimism and others hold negativity. Some waiting we can control. Others we cannot. Stress occurs when we do not know the difference.

Consider this list as a prompting for your own reflection on waiting. Expand the list and discover what lies dormant, resting until you decide to take action. Release those areas in which you must surrender to the outcome. Consider this an article for reflection, amusement, and remembrance.

Waiting... 

Waiting… the mental fingers-crossed image when the offer has been made on the house.
Waiting... the breathless time between first date and first kiss.
Waiting... the hush of morning stillness when sleepy heads listen for the morning paper to thud on the pavement.
Waiting... the eager anticipation of birth and the ever-expanding stomach which hides your feet from view.
Waiting... the empty mailbox yawning for a letter from someone, maybe just anyone.
Waiting... the anxious moments when we visualize the worst news from the doctor.
Waiting... the tingly, giggly, squirmy endless march from Thanksgiving to Santa’s arrival.
Waiting... the boredom of watching airline repair crews work on your last flight of a long week.
Waiting... the stomach-growling grace before meals while the smell of pungent Italian sausage drifts from the plate.
Waiting... the blank space from artist’s block to fruitful creativity.
Waiting… the pause between the end of a speech and the audience’s response.
Waiting… the slow march of a decision from a loan officer.
Waiting… the pen poised above the signature block on the contract.
Waiting… the frustrating, maddening, on-hold music while you wait for technical support to answer your software question.
Waiting… for the check’s in-the-mail arrival.
Waiting… the moments between dusk and dark and the fireworks display.
Waiting… the prayer and sorrow as a hand is held while death approaches.
Waiting…the interminable time when you finally can get out of your end-of-the-plane seat and exit the aircraft.
Waiting…the anticipation of seeing your family after a too-long business trip..
Waiting… NOW, it’s your turn.

How wonderful/terrible is the verb/noun wait.

And I’ll wait to see how you use my words to trigger your thoughts.