Waiting

Waiting

Waiting has become a difficult thing. I saw a young child fidgeting after less than 30 seconds waiting on a line at MacDonalds Restaurant. I saw a young woman getting upset at standing in line to buy her clothes at a mall. An adult driver who flipped me a bird for not going fast enough or getting out of her way when she approached behind me at a doubled the speed rate on a street. I see myself being impatient when a waiter takes more than three minutes after I am seated to get my order.

A friend finally sent me a reply to my e-mail—after three weeks. In that time, I felt ignored and not valued as a friend. Why? Because e-mail is supposed to be replied as quickly as possible—at least that is what we think, don’t we? If I am texting, I do want the other person to respond to me immediately instead of making me wait for five long minutes. If I e-mail someone, I would like to have a reply at least within 24 hours. Okay, I will wait 48 hours at the most. If not, I send another e-mail.

Waiting has become a difficult art. It requires patience and lots of practice for us to become good at it. This is sad because we, even those of us who are glued to our tech gadgets, used to be good at waiting. Remember how you waited for Christmas to come to open your gifts?

Now, we do not know how to wait. Waiting makes us feel ignored, stood-up, etc. Silence, therefore, has become a punishment rather than a joy. But the best part about getting a gift of friendship is waiting, no?