The Waiting Game

Ho hum…I’m waiting…again. I don’t like waiting. I feel like it is a waste of time in life. Sure they say ‘Patience is a virtue’ and all those nice sayings and such but I don’t like waiting. Oh wait, did they call my name?

No…someone else got called up. OK…

Once I was waiting for a friend to come over for dinner. OK it was a couple who are my husbands friends really. Well they’re my friends too now but met them through him. They are really lovely to be honest and the two people I have connected with most of all of my husbands friends, the wife mostly. They really are kindred spirits.

One day we invited them over for dinner to thank them for house sitting for us while we were on holidays. I was seven months pregnant with my first child so I was super hungry. My husband was cooking a barbecue dinner and it smelled divine. We told them to come over at 6 pm. They were late. Not like say 15 or 30 minutes late because something came up. They were THREE HOURS LATE! I could have done so much in those three hours. Like not eat nearly all of the snacks in the meantime or have a nap but I couldn’t knowing we were expecting guests. I was livid but kept a smile on my face. We did have a lovely dinner once they arrived. 

Their excuse for being late? It was the only time they could catch up on their businesses administration. Yeah I think I can hear you fuming with hunger too dear reader.

Turns out the couple nearly broke up over their tardiness. It was the wife’s fault. The husband was livid as well. I don’t understand either. So tell me how is anyone supposed to be patient huh?

Oh! That first person just left. It may be my turn next?

No…someone else got called up. Ho hum…

Another time and this was about a couple of weeks after that incident I dropped my smart phone and the screen was shattered into pieces! I was so livid! Add pregnancy hormones to the mix and it was as if the whole world was falling apart. I did the silly thing and went to the company (they shall remain nameless) to repair it. I booked an appointment and went to my appointment. Firstly they made me wait for 45 minutes to drop off the phone. People were coming and going after me. I asked one of the people working there, why there was a long wait and they said that I cancelled my appointment. If so why would I show up and wait when I could have used my time more productively? Turns out the concierge, another woman, that I checked in with, cancelled rather than confirmed my presence. Hmmm…well after handing in my phone I was told to come back after two hours. OK, I decided to spend my time treating myself to some window shopping. I mean when would you be able to do that in silence after giving birth hey? Not for many years. I really enjoyed my day out and then when the time came for me to go back I ended up going back to the store. I was told that the phone was ready and someone would be out with it in five minutes. 

Twenty minutes later? Nothing. Forty minutes later? Still nothing. Did I mention by this stage I was eight and a half months pregnant? Did I mention that there were no chairs to sit on to wait?

Again people were coming and going after me…picking up their phones. Again I asked the concierge what they delay was. They were very apologetic and nice and said that in 10 minutes the phone would be out.

Ninety minutes later and a blaring voice that travelled from my voice box to the poor concierges ears as a result of their ineptitude and I don’t know what, three men came out with my phone and also asked for payment. Now because of the wait I should have demanded a discount for the repairs but my back hurt from the baby’s weight. I wanted my phone and I wanted to go home!They were really nice and they did a brilliant job with my phone. A few months later I dropped it again and found a local place that did the job for half the price and half the time. Ha! 

Oh…is it my turn yet? 

No…someone else got called up. Ho hum…

Sometimes I think before we are born we line up for brains in heaven. Some people join that line and sometimes many do not. Same thing with patience really. I think God/Goddess/Universe/Higher Power (whatever you believe in) gives you a bucket of patience to last you a life time. I, however, feel like I have used up that bucket in the first quarter of my life already. I just hate to wait.

Oh! My turn? Nope…someone else got called up. Ho hum…

Sometimes waiting is good. You know the anticipation of something good. Like an event or a holiday. Then time slows down until the event and when the day or time is here it all goes super fast!

Perhaps there is such a thing as divine timing. You know things happen when they are meant to happen and for a reason. You only see that in hindsight of course. 

Once I avoided being slammed into at a traffic intersection by a woman (again!) driving a 4WD through a red light. I avoided the incident by a split second because after my light turned green I saw the cutest puppy! And she came blazing through the intersection and goodness knows what speed. I was stunned. I turned slowly and found that same car beside me at the next lights. I stopped. Rolled down the window and she glared at me. I had no patience to even consider if that woman was having a bad day. I rolled down the window and I blared again, “Thanks for nearly trying to kill me by going through the red light!” and drove off. How passive-aggressive of me…I even made a post on my online profile about it and someone who I thought was a friend criticised me for saying that ‘divine timing’ or that ‘things happen for a reason’ was real. He (a man this time finally!) even slammed one of my friends in his comments for defending me. I have no patience for such cowardice and blocked him. Who needs such negativity right?

Ah dear reader, I have been so negative haven’t I? My apologies but I’m waiting here and I thought what should I write to you about? Waiting. What does waiting require? Patience. What do I don’t have much of? Patience!

What am I at the moment and waiting for?

I am a patient.

Waiting to see my doctor to get my results.

I think I am pregnant again.

I’m not looking forward to the insomnia and tiredness but I wonder if this baby will get a brain before being born…and if they’ll have enough patience in their bucket as well. My first born certainly does.

Wish me luck dear reader. They just called my name. It’s my turn.