Like watching paint dry

I find that life is all about waiting. We spend our lives in real life and imaginary queues. Here’s a few of the places I’ve been forced to wait throughout my life. Maybe you can relate:

–Waiting for the job offer. I wait and wait. “They remember me, right?”

–I have a crush on the girl. I’m waiting for a sign from her. I’m waiting for anything, a smile, a laugh. If I go out on a limb and ask her to the school dance, will she say yes? Or am I setting myself up for rejection?

–Waiting in line to pass through security in the U.S. to board and travel by airplane.

–Waiting for the mechanic to be done working on my car.

–Waiting for my turn at the deli line. “Please call out number 22!”

–Waiting for my son to come home. But then as soon as he comes home, he runs off. And I wait to get a call or text that he made it to his destination.

–Waiting for vacation to start. And as soon as vacation is over and I’m back to work, thinking of new places to travel and visit.

–Waiting for the school day to be over. The bell marking the end of the day rings and I yell out ala Fred Flintstone: “Yabba-Dabba-Doo!”

–Waiting for my kids to grow up and then wanting them to turn the clock back and be kids again. I think of Gretchen Rubin’s quote, “The days are long, but the years are short.”

–Waiting for the inspiration to write my novel. Or even this blog. “Man behind the curtain, give me some of that gold, something that will really stick with readers. Abracadabra!

–Waiting to be seen by the emergency room doctor. Every time I’ve ever had to go to the ER, I’ve multiplied the severity of my problem by ten. I don’t mean to be a malingerer or hypochondriac. All bets are off though if my white lie will cut down on waiting time.

And oh yea, did I mention that I hate to wait? I’m impatient as they come. I toss, I turn. I stand up, I sit down. Every second waiting feels like an eternity to me.

I see people waiting patiently in the doctor’s office or the grocery line. I can’t help but wonder to myself: Are these people aliens?

Who’s with me? And if you’re in a lot of lines, how do you pass the time?

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56 thoughts on “Like watching paint dry”

  1. I hate waiting, so I bring a book, or try conversing with the person behind or in front of me. I’ve made some nice friends that way. (and occasionally an enemy, but oh well) I travel by plane a lot and there is a lot of waiting.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. This reminds me of things you shouldn’t say when in an elevator. I think my water just broke. I have a gun. I heard you had COVID. There are countless phrases, but these come to mind. They might work while waiting in a line too.

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  5. Waiting for your baby to gestate in utero takes forever, especially the last couple of months… and then as soon as you go into labour you think ‘Nooo… wait! I’m not ready yet!’ 🙂

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  6. I work in TV. My specialty is live television. It happens NOW – be ready or miss the moment. Waiting is not an option. I hate to wait. I am very impatient. I back time every aspect of my life. Every single point you raise resonates with me. I got anxious just reading it!

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      1. Well, I am very impatient and try to be more so…like when we left the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night with 17,500 others…and only one small exit so it took 40 minutes to get out!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh that it is the worst. We went to a small arena here recently for a concert. The concert holds max 8,000 or 9,000. I swear I felt like I was in Philly or NYC in traffic after a big event . . . it took forever getting out onto the highway. Ha, ha. Let’s just say I was losing my patience!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Too bad things can’t happen right away – whether it’s a job offer, a crush or a long line. It is a necessary evil though and makes the reward often the more worth it!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Methinks few like to wait. However, it’s all about what you do with yourself as you wait. I never leave for somewhere I am expected to wait without a Kindle. And if the wait is unexpected, hope the phone has enough charge to keep me busy!

    Liked by 3 people

  10. You made me laugh. My mom hates waiting and if forced to do so will loudly announce, “I hate waiting!” I’d excuse her because of her age, but she’s been doing it all my life. Still, I can totally relate to some of what you wrote, especially waiting to hear about a job. We probably all hate waiting on some level.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Haha Brain, I’m kind of wondering if we might be twins right now.😂 I hate waiting. I ‘feel’ all of these… especially “turn back the clock” so we get more precious time with the kids/grandkids. 💞 And ‘waiting for the inspiration to write my novel’… Are there people who enjoy waiting?

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  15. Isn’ there a song about waiting? There is! Tom Petty!
    I wouldn’t say I LIKE waiting, but since I started using any wait time as a meditation practice it doesn’t seem to have the same hold on me as it used to.

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  16. first of all, let me say that I am odd, as I love waiting in lines and bonding with people, chatting, getting coffee if it’s a long wait like in the old black friday days, etc. (maybe I should be one of those paid line holders), but in general, I have found as I get older, that I’ve given worrying about waiting, for things, because we will always be waiting for something and when you do that, you are missing the present, what is right in front of you, the moment, and then it is gone, and you never know how many moments you have.

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  18. I’m a pretty patient guy, so waiting doesn’t bother me too much. If I’m stuck in line I like to make fake phone calls. “Bad news, honey,” I might say. “The doctor says my fungus is highly contagious.” Other peoples’ reactions are priceless!

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  23. great topic – My husband has ZERO patience waiting on hold with the doctor’s office (or any office). He will hang up even if he needs to speak to them – that’s where I step in as a professional “please hold” waiter- I can wait and listen to the monotonous music and ads – multitasking until I hear “Hello” – and then hand the phone back to Mr Impatient to make an appointment – That’s about the ONLY thing that I have patience for 😉

    Liked by 1 person

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