Nobody likes to wait, not really. I certainly do not! Everything moves quickly these days and is available at our request. People send emails and expect a response within minutes, people shop online as it is faster (and more convenient). When food shopping with my husband we stand in two separate queues to identify who is likely to be served first. One of us then gravitates towards that queue. I do not enjoy food shopping at the best of times so try where possible to go first thing in the morning or in the evening when it is so empty you could do cartwheels down the aisles!
Waiting for ten minutes or an hour just cannot be compared with waiting for days, months or even years. We all have wants and needs that cannot be met in a short space of time perhaps because of circumstances or timing. We can allow this to consume our lives and fail to see the areas in our lives we should be thankful for. It is interesting that we tend to focus on what we do not have and completely overlook what we do have.
Choosing to be miserable whilst waiting will suck the joy out of your life. You will struggle to be happy for others when they have good news, you are likely to isolate yourself from family and friends and you will not feel good about yourself. My view point is you may as well wait with joy because either way you will be waiting. You cannot claim back the time you have wasted being miserable and it is unfair to the people who have to be in your company.
I recall allowing my circumstances to dictate my mood. When I desired a thing, it consumed me. I questioned why I was unable to receive it now as oppose to waiting. I actually questioned whether I deserved to have it – that perhaps I was punching well above my weight. It was a self destructive way of living and was slowly destroying me. I cannot recall the point at which I decided to be thankful for the many blessings in my life. Of course, I still have my moments from time to time but am quickly brought back to reality.
Have you mastered the art of waiting patiently? Is this a learned behaviour?
What advice would you give to others who struggle to maintain good character whilst waiting?
organisedlady 
I will state one of my virtues is waiting. It may be from being a hunter as a young man, there you must be still for hours.
But, I have found waiting and being patient allows me not to make rash decisions. Trust me, that waiting has helped me in my life.
But now it is time for a joke. I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t have the patience (patients).
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I agree William. Lack of patience can mean one makes hasty decisions.
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Patience is definitely learned. In my golden years, I have become more patient in some situations and less patient in others. I used to get upset about waiting in line for groceries, bank transactions, coffee, etc., but now I don’t. I remind myself that I am alive, that I have reasonable mobility for my age, and that there are many people who would give anything to be able to wait in this line, due to bad circumstances in which they find themselves. Now I use waiting as an opportunity to make lists, think about what I have to do later, remind myself of a good memory, and so on. I know that anxiety and irritation are bad things that I don’t want to have, so I tell myself to cut it out. Thanks for your post!
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Patience definitely grows with age. I guess you learn with time. I make the most of having free time whilst I wait – it is rather freeing knowing I cannot do anything else even if I wanted to.
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Patience is a very hard skill to learn. I have yet learned to master that skill. The best thing to do is work on that skill to learn how to be patient.
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I too am still working on this skill.
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I fully endorse waiting with joy. I recently submitted a joint proposal with a friend. Once the proposal was in, I started working on other research. My friend started watching the clock. Guess who’s more relaxed?
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Of course it was you! Thank you for sharing your experience Debra.
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My waiting patience depends upon where it is I am doing the waiting. My worst behavior is always in traffic. I can’t tolerate bad drivers and we’ve got oodles of them around here. Which is no excuse whatever for me being impatient when driving. What’s my point? None! 🙂
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Sitting in traffic is awful. I tend to leave out extra early just to avoid traffic during peak times.
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Wise words my friend! Let’s see, I’m very good at waiting to achieve goals, I’ve pursued goals for years. Waiting in airports, grocery store lines, etc., has never bothered me because I either read or zone out people watching. The one area I am not patient at all is waiting on the phone … I absolutely hate waiting on the phone! Maybe because there’s nothing to keep me preoccupied other than waiting, waiting, waiting.
I do think anyone can learn to be more patient, but a big part of the process has to do with choosing not to occupy every minute of the day. It’s a lot easier to be patient when we create a buffer zone around our activities so as not to become stressed out over having to wait an extra 5 minutes to get through a line. Thanks, as always enjoyed your article!
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You have a point Marquita (which does not surprise me!) If we do not allow for delays we will become highly stressed at running late for our next appointment/telephone call/activity. I have a habit of trying to kill 20 birds with 1 stone. I overload my day and wonder why I feel frazzled.
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It’s hard to be patient, at least for me. I think we live in a world where we expect instant gratification. To cite the proverb, “Good things come to those who wait.”
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Technology has indeed moved on but human contact is still much needed.
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Patience is definitely a learned skill. I had none when I was much younger. A small amount in my 30’s, and now that I’m in the 55+ group, I’ve developed much more. Keep at it, breath deeply when you’re waiting for something to happen, knowing that eventually, it will! (P.S. I left a comment last nite and don’t see it here, so am reposting. Same problem. Your site does not function as well on the mobile platform.)
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It seems we become more patient as we grow older. I guess we gain more experience!
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I think “busy” can become a substitute for doing something important; something we might have to be patient for. “Busy” can be a quick fix, I’m important statement; cotton candy nutrition for low self esteem. Just my view.
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Marvin – Thank you for sharing your view on waiting patiently – or not!
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The only thing that’s certain for all people in the world is that everything is uncertain. Patience is a virtue and you have to persevere in order to succeed. Once you understand that it’s easy to wait joyfully.
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There is an element of uncertainty in this world no matter how much control we like to think we have.
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