I know, I know, I know…. But what I’m talking about is the time that we spend waiting for things and how we can use that time in a more productive manner. My point is, is that it doesn’t need to feel like wasted time. So, let’s talk about some examples. Think about when you are in the line at a grocery store and the person ahead of you has 50+ items (forgets one thing at the very back of the store) and you are both standing in the 20 items or less line. Another example is all the times that you were stuck in traffic either going to work or coming home from work or somewhere. What about when you are waiting in a long line for a COVID-19 test? I don’t mean to say that we can’t or even shouldn’t get justifiably angry at times, but….
Where is our patience? It’s not always there, is it? This new reality has become very challenging to all of us in my way of thinking. Don’t you agree?
So, what if we TRY something different, instead? What if we try to DO something different, instead?
Hmmm…. so, our first reaction is usually to yell and get angry. Question…. how is that going for you? It doesn’t solve anything at all, does it?
I can’t tell you what to do, I will only give some suggestions. You are responsible for how you react in any given situation. I will tell you that I always, always, always hate it when I have to second guess myself later about the choices that I made in a given situation. I’ve learned that you can’t change the past but you can learn from it. (Related post: My dad always said that “You can’t woulda, shoulda, coulda…..”)
So, my first suggestion is to stop and think before you open your mouth. Ask yourself what you would want someone else to do in your same predicament.
My second suggestion is to realize that time is relative, you can’t get it back but you can choose to take a different path. (Related post: Just going with the flow….). You can pass the time, instead, empathizing with another person, maybe helping them out in some small way or trying to find a way to make them and yourself laugh over it. Either way, the time you spent has become more pleasant instead of dissolving into anger.
My third suggestion is to start a dialogue with God. Say a quick prayer about some of the positive things that have happened in your life or thank him for being able to have a home or workplace to go to. Ask God to give you patience and then pray for others that you see around you.
Remember that it’s not wasted time if you gain something from it in the long term.
Realize that we are never going to agree on everything that others choose to do. The only person that we can control is ourselves. Remember that we all have our own thoughts and opinions but we can at least TRY to show more compassion when we are dealing with others even if we don’t agree or even understand what that other person is going through. It’s always worth a shot and, the end result just may be that you leave in a better mood than you would have thought otherwise. Times not wasted after all and there… don’t you feel better already?
So, what did I learn from this? Trust me when I tell you that this is something that I need to work on as well. However, I will tell you that when I have used these suggestions that I gave to you, it lifted up my spirits as well. I was left feeling as though I had passed on a little bit of goodwill. Isn’t that the point? To leave this world a little bit better off than we found it? Life is all about choices so I need to make sure that I make some good ones that I know that I can live with.
What can you gain from this? Maybe a better question is…. what do you WANT to gain from it? If you are angry all the time, then you might need to ask yourself why. You might want to consider talking to someone about it. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with getting some therapy. Twice, I’ve chosen to do it and each time it helped me see things a little clearer. When we are honest with ourselves then it can help us to find our happy places within. Isn’t that the point as well? Just, food for thought.
A Joyful Mission 