If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life -Oscar Wilde-
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Sometimes time flies by so fast that the wait seems only like a brief moment. As for other times, the wait seems too much of a burden to bear. But why wait? Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! Dr. Robert Anthony said that "waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life: reasons and results, and reasons simply don't matter." Some people can't wait. Others wait far too long.
Perhaps it depends on the objective of the wait. What are you waiting for?
If the objective is the result of an exam, or a job offer after an interview, and you know that you've done your best, what else can you do but WAIT?
If the objective is to board a flight, and you know you're late, what else can you do but NOT WAIT?
If the objective is earnings from investments, the decision between WAIT and NOT WAIT can be fatal. You can gain or lose everything.
If the objective is an answer to a prayer, it's really not your say as you have left the issue of timing in the hands of God. You just have to WAIT.
If the objective is a person, there really is no easy answer. If someone crosses your path, do you NOT WAIT and jump at the chance or do you WAIT? If you choose to jump, why? Is it because you're afraid of being alone, or because you're absolutely sure that this person is meant for you? If you choose to wait, why? Is it because you're afraid of getting hurt, or because you're not sure whether this person is the real deal? And then there's the OTHER question. What if no one crosses your path? Will you flex your eye muscles and screen every person that comes along your way, or will you wait, or will you just not care?
Truth is, Dr. Anthony is wrong. Reasons matter. The REASON for the wait or action matters. There are certain reasons that demand attention, thus we cannot wait. There are other reasons that demand patience, thus we have to wait. And there are certain things that only the wait can teach us: patience, appreciation, thanksgiving and understanding. We wait, and thus we learn patience. When the wait is rewarded, we learn appreciation. When the one who relieves the wait receives praise, we learn thanksgiving. And even though the wait is not rewarded, we can learn why, if we manage to put aside the disappointment and frustration, and so we are given a higher understanding.
Someone once shared with me that waiting projects a sense of expectation. Sadly, sometimes expectations fail, but not always. The Israelites waited for 400 years for Moses. One cannot say that those who have died before his arrival waited in vain, because he did come. Many prophets who foretold about the birth of Christ died before He came. One cannot say they waited in vain, because He did come. As for dear Jacob, he laboured and waited for 14 years for Rachel. I guess that's what Henry Wadsworth Longfellow meant: labour and love. Some things/people/events etc. are worth the wait, because these things create changes for the better.
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A funny and yet seemingly true quote that I found:
"Women are like apples on trees, the best ones are on the top of the tree. The men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and don't want to get hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't so good but easy. So, the apples on the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality they are amazing. They just have to WAIT for the right man to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top because they value quality."
Labels: heart soul mind
