The waiting room

We have all heard the sayings, “patience is a virtue” and “good things come to those who wait.” As an individual with a natural disposition to “speed up the process,” I have learned to appreciate these phrases and realize their importance in daily life…for other people. 😉

When discussing deadlines or start-times, I am the person who always arrives early to events and being “on time” means that in my mind, I am actually late. If I have time-sensitive responsibilities, I frequently begin and complete projects early to avoid complications regarding deadlines. To summarize, the phrase “the early bird gets the worm” is, in essence, how I operate on a daily basis; however, because of this, my idea of patience has been convoluted with organization, simply because my schedule has allowed it.

So what do you do while you wait?.. Well, as this school semester has consistently showed me, you wait some more. Frustratingly unhelpful isn’t it?

In order to keep my head above water within university, my brain has been programmed to think ahead and attack the next assignment and be ready for what’s next, but as I’m being reminded, life doesn’t come with the exact formula on how to attain the items on our “wish list”. There are things that can only be realized through the passing of time.

(This is why I take the position that patience is only important for others… Ain’t nobody got time for that. 😉 )

Waiting requires a level of self-reflection, which we commonly ignore because it tends to dig up parts of our identities that we have tried to bury through busy schedules. When we are forced to wait, we are faced with an important choice. We can use other responsibilities and entertainment as distractions or we can choose to develop personal growth through the capacity to endure trying situations.

You decide. What’s your waiting room?