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There used to be this lady who worked at the corporate office of the company for which I worked. She'd been working there for several years before I started managing the West Coast operation. She handled things like payroll and accounts receivable and payable. She would email me frequently when she had a question or a request concerning my office. Her tag line before her signature was always "Hurry Friday!"
She was one of those TGIF people who existed for the weekends. I never understood that philosophy. Maybe when I was in high school, but not really. I had favorite TV shows during the week and I did okay going to school. Didn't care for it all that much, but I very easily tolerated it.
Still the "can hardly wait" idiom frequently appeared in my language. "I can hardly wait until my vacation" or Christmas or whatever. I still catch myself saying these types of phrases or even thinking the thoughts. The truth though is that I can wait. I don't want time to hurry any faster than it already does. I'd like to savor every moment. Or a least all the good ones.
I don't really wish such and such a date would hurry and get here. Life is short and I don't need to make it any shorter. Even those times when I feel kind of bored. In reality there's never a legitimate time for boredom as there is something interesting about every situation in every moment of the day. I think of boredom as a stubborn display to reject what we think we don't want to do. Or a tedious time as something I know I don't want to do. The state of boredom is a lie which we begin to believe and if we openly express this lie we become more and more frustrated--or bored.
But I digress. My real point is that we--or I and you if you want to--we should savor each present moment as much as we can. They fly by so it's difficult to catch a moment, but sometimes time seems to pause--just for a moment to wait to see if I've noticed.
"TGIF" or "Hurry Friday!" even on a Monday the lady in our company would end her emails to me. She still had a whole week ahead. Every day would be a "Hurry Friday" day except for when it was "Yay! It's Friday!" day.
You can wait for most things. Sometimes you might need to go to the bathroom after waiting and there may come a point where you can't wait any longer. There are things like throwing up "Blechhhh!" If there's any waiting necessary for that then you can figure that waiting's not gonna happen.
I wait if I have to. What choice do I have in those cases? There's always something to listen to and to look at or at least think about. Waiting can be a blessing. Waiting holds options if we choose to see them. Waiting is not really all that bad. Besides, once we've reached whatever we are waiting for then there's something else to wait for.
That's life. We're all ultimately waiting for something.
Where do you dislike waiting? Do you get impatient or unpleasant in any way when you have to wait? What are you waiting for at this moment?
I'm at the age where I don't want time to fly by either. It's going fast enough, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I want things to move faster is when I'm behind the wheel of my car.
very day is a gift and I enjoy them all, I hate lines though. I just don't do lines.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am very impatient and I don't like waiting in lines or traffic lights. Each week I eagerly await my honey's homecoming on Thursdays. I remember when my dad died, I also couldn't wait for the funeral and stuff to be overwith....that was so hard and awful, I just wanted to put it behind me and start moving on. Funeral arrangements are extremely difficult and painful. :(
ReplyDeleteHi Arlee,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting one!1
Yes indeed waiting is sometimes a very tedious one, but I am sure at the end we feel happy, LOL.
And I am sure "Waiting time is not a wasting time" LOL
Of course Now I am Waiting for those precious day called A to Z's first day LOL
Have a Blessed waiting day LOL
Keep informed
Love
Phil
Hey, Arlee, I forgot to ask one thing about the pic?
ReplyDeleteHey is it a pic from India.
In India one can see this type of lines everywhere!!
Thanks
Phil
Alex -- I'm with you on that.
ReplyDeleteStephen -- I try to avoid lines, but sometimes they're inevitable. When I get stuck in a line I'll either strike up a conversation with someone nearby or just observe my surroundings.
JoJo-- I tend to mostly be impatient if I need to be within a timeframe and fear running late. Fortunately I've never had to make any funeral arrangements, but yes, funerals are tough.
PV -- I like that "Waiting time is not wasting time" expression. Waiting is just something that we must do and might as well savor the moment. Yes, the photo comes from India--I used it especially with my blogging friends in India in mind.
Lee
Wish your life away and you will get your wish!
ReplyDeletethe older I get the more I want life to slow down. Way down.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that I have really been rushing to get to is good health. I have been waiting to find the right information to move me from a place of chronic pain to a place of feeling good. It has taken me a long time but I think I'm on the right track. I no longer "can't wait" because I am slowly moving toward better... feeling good... getting my life back. It was when I couldn't do ANYTHING because I felt so lousy that I couldn't wait. Now, that I am gaining on it, I wish time didn't fly by so quickly. There is so much I want to DO!
ReplyDeleteOh, and you were right (as you know) about your comment on my HERE'S TO YOU post. I missed it because we must have been typing at the same time. Thank you for coming back and pointing me in the right direction!
Well, two things...
ReplyDelete1: I am NEVER bored. There is always something interesting happening, and if there isn't, I'll find something else to do that IS interesting.
2: I want my life to speed up and be done with because after this life I will be propelled into Life (with a capital "L").
It's so funny to me how people will do and spend almost ANYTHING to stay breathing on this planet, even while professing to believe in an eternal and better Life after this one.
If they really believed that, wouldn't they welcome the change?
Well... I REALLY DO believe that, and I welcome the change. The very second (not year, not month, not day, not hour, not minute, but the very SECOND...) the Lord will have me, I want to be there.
I know I'm here because God says I should be, but speaking for myself, personally, I was ready to "Return" ten years ago, and I look forward to the time when my Father will embrace my soul, while this car I've been driving is left behind to rust.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
When I was a teacher I longed for each weekend. Now it doesn't matter so much for me but I understand the reasoning. These days I want each day to slow down.
ReplyDeleteL.Diane -- I wish for more time and time with more quality. Hope my wishes come true.
ReplyDeleteTeresa - Slow way way down.
Karen -- These days I seem to spend most of my waiting time waiting for things to load on my computer. I keep lots of activities around me so I can do other things while waiting. Still the computer issue is very frustrating.
Robin -- I guess one might consider that even time spent in pain, discomfort, or bad health is worth savoring. Not that I want to have those things, but it's something I think about at those times.
STMc-- 1) I figure if people are bored it's because they're boring and aren't tapping into their sense of creativity 2) I hear what you're saying and this was partly what was on my mind when I wrote this. At the same time I feel like this life is God's gift to me and I need to savor it and use it as wisely as I can. I look forward to that time of eternity with my Creator, but I think He's got some lessons in mind for me to learn and he'll take me when it's time. But for now there is a lot to enjoy here on Earth.
Susan GK -- My wife is the same way since she's still teaching. I guess weekends have never mattered that much to me because much of my working life I worked many weekends.
Lee
Lee-
ReplyDeleteYou have sort of ripped off my mantra of the last seven or eight years-"I will take every Monday they give me."
People spend years saying TGIF and then wonder where the time went.
While I agree with Stephen T. that Something Better awaits (assuming I am not found lacking), I still think we're meant to enjoy this life, and it's easy to do if you put your mind to it...just watch your dog or cat bask in a ray of sun and see the look of contentment on their face.
I woke up this morning and realized two things.
(1) It is Monday
(2) The mirror fog up a little when I breathed on it, so I am alive.
It's a good day!
LC
I don't think I've been bored since I was about six.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't remember the last time I had a "I can't wait" attitude. Maybe high school? I don't know.
My daughter, on the other hand, "can't wait" for anything.
Great post Lee, Waiting and Patience are two different things I guess. Patience can test us in unimaginable ways. Waiting in queues is awful and patience is not a virtue I bring to bear.
ReplyDeleteEvery day is a gift. Fridays are great.
Garden of Eden Blog
This is a really, lovely post. It speaks to appreciating the now, and being grateful for what we have at this moment. Well said.
ReplyDeleteI've gone from being the lady in your story to more like you, mainly because I no longer have one of those soul-sucking grind jobs that make you sing "Nothing matters but the weekend/from a Tuesday point of view". And like STMc, I am ready whenever He is. I was just debating last night in my mind watching a ad for Hot In Cleveland. I looked at Betty White and said, "Remember when she was Sue Ann Niven on the old MTM show? She seemed like she was too old to be playing a slut even 40 years ago... hey, wait! 40 years ago she was 50, and she WAS too old to be playing a slut like that... God, I hope I will NEVER say, I was 50 forty years ago!"
ReplyDeletePAtience is a good thing. Time however moves way too fast. I can't believe that we're already toward the end of March. As for being bored, I have no time for that. Of course being a writer keeps me entertained.
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate!
Larry -- Everyday has something good to offer us. Sometimes we just have to look for that good thing.
ReplyDeleteAndrew -- I think impatience tends to be more common in young people. Perhaps as we get older we just have gotten used to waiting.
Susan -- Impatience can actually be unhealthy when taken to extremes.
Liza - Thank you! It was worth waiting for your very nice comment.
CW -- Oh, I think it would be pretty cool to say that I was 40 fifty years ago as long as I was drooling or saying it incoherently.
Shelly -- A bored writer is probably not a very imaginative writer.
Lee
Such a great post! I too like to wait, or rather I'm not in a hurry. I'm still in shock it's March already! Each day I get older and wiser and more patient. ;)
ReplyDeleteI suppose right now I'm waiting for a wee bit of warmer weather, and to put my winter jacket and boots away...that would be nice. :)
I am looking forward to the A to Z AND all being well in April also on the 13th going to see DannyBoy in Bristol UK.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Lee.
Yvonne.
I sure don't wish time away any more although I remember I always did as a kid. But as Alex said, time is going quite fast enough on its own thanks very much.
ReplyDeleteWhen I find myself waiting, I can usually fill my mind with a story or two that I'm writing. I only get anxious when I'm waiting for somebody. The rest of the time, I find I can find something to ruminate on.
ReplyDeleteI love that thought about boredom. I might just have to steal it and use it myself...
Happy St Patricks Day. Millions of people around the world don their best attire to tell stories, sing songs and celibrate being green! So what are we waiting for? lets celebrate.
ReplyDeleteSouthpaw -- It's been very warm in L.A.--a bit too warm as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteYvonne -- I know you're really looking forward to that concert.
Jo -- I guess I used to wish time away when I was younger. It seemed like I had so much left to let go frivolously.
Liz A.- It can depend on the type of waiting. Sometimes it can turn into worry and that's not very productive.
Spaceguy -- I don't guess I'll be celebrating much tonight, but I'll be enjoying myself.
Lee
I can't deal with waiting on the phone nor dealing with drivers who go at or under the speed limit, which usually makes do thug driving.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm on the phone at work and have to wait (which happens a lot when I have to call other guv'mental agencies) I'll do other work so that I don't fall wickedly behind while waiting for someone to come to the phone.
I must admit that I rarely get bored. There's always something to do. I get frustrated when I'd rather be doing something else, though.
ReplyDeleteLife is certainly too short, and I dislike standing and waiting in long queues. I always have to turn to the person behind me to strike up a conversation. It means that the wait doesn't seem so long!
Time in the U.S. is always flying. I rather like the Spanish, "Tiempo anda." Time walks. At least at that pace I can admire the view. Then in my Zen moments, I'm not moving at all, just absorbing and enjoying. Here's to appreciating each tick of the clock.
ReplyDeleteGB -- Those interminably long waits through recorded messages are very annoying. When they loop a song it makes me wish they'd have a radio station or anything else but that song. But we wait--sometimes it's all we can do. I usually open up the solitaire game on my wife's computer if I'm going to make a call where I know I'll have to wait.
ReplyDeleteFanny -- I agree that conversations are great ways to pass time when you're stuck waiting with others. I've met some interesting people that way. Sometimes I'll even wish the wait was longer so we could have kept talking.
C.Lee -- For me a leisurely walk can be pure joy. I love strolling in the mountains.
Lee
I can't wait for my daughter's graduation from university tonight, I can't wait to begin remodelling our beach house, I can't wait to hear from my manuscript assessor to find out if she thinks my novel's any good...I can't wait for lots of things, but now I can't wait to cook raspberry and ricotta hotcakes for a special breakfast. See you Arlee!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've noticed as I get older that I try to hold on to each moment a little longer, especially the ones with my growing kids. I do get really excited about going on family vacations though and find myself saying, "I can't wait!" But part of the fun is the excitement of the waiting and what will happen when we get there.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoyed today, Tuesday. :)
I've been guilty of wanting a week to fly by but then it seems the weekend goes by just as quickly. I try to just enjoy the present!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great reminder to slow down, and really enjoy things. In my case, I could still use a little speeding up.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Love this post! I've been trying to not live for the weekends . . . It can be hard sometimes! Found your blog on the A-Z Challenge link up. I'll be subscribing to your blog. I look forward to reading what you have to say!
ReplyDeleteI'm really late to this party and I haven't had time to read all of the comments, so please forgive me if I'm being redundant.
ReplyDeletePatience has certainly been my test and although I'm sure it ain't over (I'm still here) I don't wish time away or believe that everything will be alright when...
I know there is something better in store (in the next life) and I could be anxious for that, but I trust in God's plan for me and know that when the time is right and I have learned what I need and accomplished the things I was sent to do, I'll be worthy of the reward.
There is a beauty in the waiting (Joy in the Journey) and I really don't want to miss a thing.
Denise -- You are having an exciting life these days!
ReplyDeleteKMC-- The times with our kids are to be treasured since it goes quickly and can't be recaptured other than with grandchildren and that's not quite the same for most of us.
Kate -- Exactly. What we look forward to is gone before we know it.
Julie -- I wish I could speed up in getting things accomplished but savor that time as I go. I sometimes do things much more slowly than I should.
Kirra -- For a lot of us I guess it depends on the nature of our jobs. Drudgery begs for weekend fun.
Faraway-- Those are my sentiments as well. Time is the greatest of life's riches.
Lee