Waiting

Waiting  n. – remaining inactive in one place while expecting something.

It hit me this week – I’ve done SO MUCH waiting! And I’m not sure I like it!

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
Dr. Seuss

I agree with Toba Beta who said: “Waiting’s exhausting”.

But I’m asking some questions in this waiting:

“Can there be more to waiting than passive inactivity?”
Can there be a way to live life and be fully alive while waiting?

I’m not willing to settle for the thinking behinds the words of Voltaire who said, “We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.”

It’s fair to say that waiting is with us to stay – regardless of our season of life. For me, the last 854 days I’ve been in waiting university.

I’ve spent time:

• Waiting to make sense of this accident
• Waiting for pain meds to kick in
• Waiting for blood results
• Waiting to be infection free
• Waiting to get out of hospital
• Waiting for new bone to grow
• Waiting for surgery
• Waiting to recover from surgery
• Waiting to walk
• Waiting to drive
• Waiting to work
• Waiting to be off work
• Waiting to see what new normal will be

Back to the question:

“Can there be more to waiting than passive inactivity?”
Is there more to waiting than wishing what you’re going through was over so you could get on with what you wish you were getting on with?”  

In other words, how do you live life while waiting? The key is to CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

The key is to choose a different vantage point to see your waiting from. Too often we see our waiting from the dark and unattractive underbelly of the waiting instead of high above it.

Here are a few perspectives for you to try on:

What about WONDERING while waiting?

• This is about taking some time to reflect and ponder what your gifts are, what you’re grateful for, who your important people are, what your life is really all about.

What about WANDERING while waiting?

• If your life has slowed down, you have the opportunity to smell more flowers, talk to more friends, read more inspiring stories, notice beauty in the details (I’ve seen a lot more flowers at the speed I walk now!)

What about WEEPING while waiting?

• If you are waiting because of some hurt or injury or illness, waiting gives you time to heal – which involves weeping. To heal, you have to weep.

What about WALTZING while waiting?

• Waiting offers the opportunity to learn a new dance. Waiting gives you a change to grow in character and work on some missteps in how you treat people. You’ll be better for it.

What about WIDENING your view while waiting?

• Waiting opens up new worlds and exposes us to the needs of others. I’ve grown in empathy because of the suffering I’ve experienced and I’m grateful for the broader view.

What about being WRECKED while waiting?

• Being wrecked for the better is about having your old unworkable priorities and patterns changed because you see the world differently. Waiting disturbs your status quo and leaves you changed for the better – if you lean into it.

To be honest, I’m still working on making my waiting more life giving and seeing it from a fresh perspective. I do see signs of growth which I’m thankful for but continue to grow in this area. I invite you into this waiting journey with me.

What are you waiting for?
How does your perspective need to change so your waiting is more life giving?

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