Waiting Games

Pop quiz:

Q: What takes forever no matter how short it's supposed to be?

A: Waiting.

It's part of life, and it's everywhere, and of course in some countries much, much worse than others. The lines in Eastern European countries like Poland and Russia, for example, are said to be legendarily long.

But there are other ways of waiting that don't involve lines, and they drive us crazy, too. Waiting for a test to come back from the doctor. Waiting for someone you like to call you or respond to a call or text. Waiting on a job offer, or to find out whether you got into a college or not.

How do YOU deal with waiting? I was always better at giving my son advice about it than at doing it myself. Because waiting is awful, no matter what your situation may be.

You can tell yourself (or your kid) to be patient, that a watched pot never boils, think of something else, all that good stuff... but in the end, your question still hangs in your mind and you have to deal with your anxiety/anger/impatience all the same.

Waiting is the last thing most of us want to do, yet we spend a ton of time doing it.

The only possible, sort of solution I've come up with is to think of what you'll do if you don't get what you're waiting for.

But then, impatience was always my strong suit.

 If you have any ideas, please! I'll be waiting to hear from you.


Child and dog waiting: Valentina Powers