Wait, Rest, Rejoice: What Are You Waiting For?

I'm not one who is given to epiphany. I don't have the mental stamina to tackle a philosophical problem and try to solve it by research, meditation, and discussion.
But in the past few weeks, as I become more and more aware of how drastically my life is about to change when I am no longer a teacher, there are 3 words that keep coming to mind:


Wait   Rest   Rejoice

The image I have is of a doctor's office waiting room (probably because I've spent so much time in these areas as of late).
When seated, you are forced to wait. When you are still and wait, you can relax. And when you can relax, it becomes easier to focus on thoughts of thankfulness and joy.

 Please notice the use of the word "can." Just because we find ourselves in situations of waiting, does not mean it automatically leads to resting and rejoicing. It is a mental exercise, and most certainly a difficult one.

For instance, back to my medical image, many times when we wait in a doctor's office, it can be a time of apprehension, anger, and/or pure panic.
But in my own little life, I find that when I FORCE  myself to use that time of waiting to rest, I can reach a state of thankfulness. And if I can do it, dear reader, you most certainly can.

All 3 of these words have become "heavy ones" to me, as in each word is a symbol for a goal, a state of mind and heart that I want to reach. Also, out of all possible words, these verbs are the ones my character struggles most with actually doing . . .

So let's start with WAIT . . .


Here's my waiting list right now:

1. I'm waiting for next Tuesday when I meet with my Doctor again to discuss my recovery and fertility options. This is part of the bigger wait of . . .
2. When will James and I add on to our family? How much longer will we wait for that? We are pretty happy right now as things are, but what if we wait too long? Will we miss our window?
3. I'm waiting to see what happens when I'm no longer working. How will my life change? Will it be mostly good, or will I regret it?
4. I'm waiting to turn 30, a new decade, the decades of adults, older and wiser, putting childish things away, colonoscopies. Am I ready for that? How does one get older gracefully? How does one get older thankfully?

Here's the beauty in waiting:

1. It can refine you. It can become time to focus on what I do have, good and bad, and then I have the time to change, add, take away, as needed. It is time to prepare and make sure I am ready for the desire/s I am waiting for.
2. It can humble you. If I am waiting for something, it means it is out of my power to get it. I am then reminded of my tiny, finite state, and this is good, freeing, and comforting. It can be lovely to not be in control.
3. It can refocus you. I can't have something right away? Ok, then maybe I should look at what I do have. Am I appreciating and nourishing what is already good and beautiful in my life?
4. It can excite you. I think we can all agree that receiving something/someone that we've had to WAIT for, is much more gratifying than the wishes that are granted right away.

 When I appreciate the wait, and I don't always, or even most of the time, I find myself . . . satisfied, content . . . dare I say "happy"? And I feel this way without actually getting what I wanted.

And when we wait, it gives us time to contemplate all the desires that have come to fruition in the past. All the good time and good people that make the struggle worthwhile.

Here are some pictures of wonderful moments and people just from this past year (2011-2012) who remind me of the loveliness that comes from the waiting:

Not too shabby, eh? So what do you think of during the waiting time? Try thinking of the good stuff- I promise it will make you feel better!

And even if we don't get what we want in the end, we can cling to the words of the sage philosophers, The Rolling Stones, when Mick reminds us . . .

So tell me, since I'm new to this patience thing, what are your ways to wait? How do you make it a good time instead of a waste of time?