I had some errands in Valdosta this morning and chose the wrong route. The train was hooking and unhooking cars across the intersection and kept moving back and forth. I waited. And waited. And waited. When the train came to a complete standstill, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled over into the turn lane and found a side street to go around the train. In all actuality, if I had waited another five minutes, the train would have moved, but I was just too impatient. I probably killed more time finding an alternate route than if I had just stuck it out and waited on the train to finish hooking up.
On the way back, I somehow forgot that I was going through the same intersection and I got in the lane that had no exit, so I was stuck. I checked my phone, changed radio stations, and tried to be patient. Five whole minutes. That’s the entire length of time that passed while the train did its thing. And it seemed like an eternity.
Waiting is such a hard part of life. I am currently in the process of writing and submitting different pieces to editors and publishers. It can take months before hearing back and oftentimes it’s a rejection or in some cases, I never hear back. This whole waiting game can be taxing. But life can’t come to a standstill while I wait. I have to keep writing as the inspiration hits and working on projects in the meantime. Even when I was waiting on the train, I kept the engine running.
The same goes for our lives. Right now, there is still a ton of uncertainty all around. We are waiting on things to get back to normal, but who’s to say that normal will ever come? So, while we are waiting, we need to keep the engine running. We need to keep doing the things that bring us passion and making sure we are investing in the world around us. Wasting our “wait” just isn’t going to work. That time can be used to encourage and reach others. It can be used to make a difference in another person’s life.
No, waiting is not our favorite game, and no one likes stopping for the train, but even while we wait, we can be productive. Keep the engine running and don’t waste the “wait”.