Waiting . . .

Hi All!

Waiting. This is one of those things in life which can seem almost painful. Remember waiting for Christmas when you were a child? How hard was it to fall asleep on Christmas Even knowing that in the morning Santa would have presents under the tree for you? How about waiting for your birthday? Torture!

Over the years, I have developed an almost zen like appreciation of waiting (see yesterday's post about waiting at the Apple Store!). A while back I decided that instead of getting impatient and frustrated, I was going to view waiting as an opportunity. It can be an opportunity to people watch - one of my all time favorite sports. It can be an opportunity to get organized - sometimes you just have to get that purse in order! It can be an opportunity to figure out a problem - hello deep thought time. It can even be an opportunity to catch up on reading - this is either the tabloids (those forbidden treats) or a real book.

No matter what I am waiting for, I always try to have something to do. I must admit that People Watching is my all time favorite. Like at the Apple Store. The man who was freaking out because he had to wait was fun to watch. He kept working himself up to the verge of a rabid outbreak and would then talk to me and calm down a bit. He paced and muttered under his breath. It made me wonder what he was like in the rest of his life.

Of to the side was a mad who had a Mac Mini with him. He was sitting on one of the stools and had earphones on. There was a slight smile on his face as he watched the Genius Bar in action. He occasionally surveyed the other waitees and, when he got tired of sitting, he would take a lap or two around the store. I wonder if he is in on my zen idea?

There were a couple women there with children. These women immediately zeroed in on the computer area set up specifically for children. There were child sized bean bagish chairs in front of a child sized table sporting the newest Mac computers showing child friendly videos and games. The women got their children interested in the computers and then spent the rest of the time hovering around that area - which was conveniently located very close to the Genius Bar.

Yes, people watching is an art form in itself. In fact, people watching is why I have worked to develop my waiting attitude. There is nothing funnier or more amusing than watching an impatient waiter. It is almost like watching a car crash - you can't make yourself look away. It isn't always a pretty sight either if the impatient one turns into the rude one. I know that I don't want to the that person.

Zen waiting. You should give it a try!

Trisha

Voice Update: I was a very good girl yesterday. I did exercises and massage and my voice is thanking me for it. Today I am planning on taking a nap right after this and haven't gotten my timer with me. I know - not good! I did find out that you can hear the timer all the way across my house yesterday and that it automatically stops beeping after about a minute.