The Time is Right

/ Ann Coleman

I think almost everyone spends far too much time waiting.  We wait in line, we sit in special waiting rooms before our medical appointments, we endure easy-listening music on our phones while waiting our turn to speak to a live customer service rep,  we wait for test results, and this year, we’re all waiting for the end of a global pandemic that has really outworn its welcome.  Most of that waiting is beyond our control and so we accept it and learn to adapt.  We tell ourselves that what we’re waiting for will eventually arrive, and until then, we bide our time as best we can.  I’ve managed to read entire magazines while waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store, which not only keeps my mind occupied but saves me the cost of having to actually buy the magazine.

But the problem with waiting is that it can become a habit, and not in a good way.  It’s easy to slip into the habit of thinking that somehow our lives will be good and whole just as soon as whatever issue we happen to be dealing with is finally resolved, or whatever we’re waiting for finally arrives.  We can become so focused on waiting for what we believe will be a better future that we tend to overlook the present.  Or at least that’s what I find myself doing a lot these days.

If I can just make it through these next few months, then the worst of the pandemic will be over and I’ll be able to enjoy myself again.  Once my husband gets past this next medical procedure, then I can relax and focus on the things I love to do.  Once we get that new dormer put in our upstairs bedroom, then my house will finally look and function exactly the way I want it to.  I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  It’s as if I believe that I’m existing in some sort of limbo, just waiting for something to happen so that I can finally begin to live my life the way I want to.

Sometimes I need reminding that when whatever I happen to be waiting for finally arrives, I’m surely going to start waiting for something else.  Which means that the best way to deal with it all is to simply live the best life I can, right here and right now.  It’s amazing how much can be accomplished, and how much joy can be found, when we simply allow ourselves to live in the present, even with all its imperfections and uncertainties.

Hoping and planning for a better future is a good thing.  But when we focus too much on waiting for that future to actually arrive, I believe we’re also cheating ourselves out of the good that can be found in the present.  One of my favorite sayings has always been, “Life is for living.”  I’m beginning to think that it’s time for me to edit that a little, and change it to “Life is for living now!”   Because that’s the God’s honest truth……

121 thoughts on “The Time is Right”

  1. I thank you for writing what I’ve been feeling lately. So tired of waiting “for when it’s a better time.” What’s that other quote? Oh yes, “NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT”! Great post, Ann.

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  5. I procrastinate, so much in fact that I clicked on a free online course (or two or more as I have clicked on way too many of these in the last month or so as I am finally maybe applying some of the self-help courses I have taken or at least browsed through) re the subject. Unfortunately, I discovered that I fall into 4 of the 5 categories of procrastinator the course described. Long story short (or at least shorter) on that, I agree with their evaluation and analysis when it comes to my blogging, or really just writing in general, life.

    However, specifically re this post and my current real life in general, I beg to disagree a little. Currently and re my personal self and situation, I am struggling mightily not to live in the past so I can get through the present (my pending divorce) before I feel prepared to give any though to the future. The process has been dragged out because of Covid so I have been forced to wait, for the divorce settlement and pretty much all other related activities, even in the past present, until things open up again anyway. In my defense, though, I have joined a lot of meetings online during this time, again still waiting till I can meet some of the other attendees in person. Most of these are people I have never met and I think with people, old or new, you really need to physically be in the same room at least to get the most of the meeting.

    I also do a lot of waiting on and for my mom and all her business in the present. She has always had instantitis which in some cases can lead to unnecessary stress and effort because sometimes the problems she wants me to pursue on her behalf resolve themselves. I must admit, though, that I wait on this resolution probably more often than I should. I think it’s my little bit of rebellion vs. Mom. I also have to wait for her to fully wake up every day because I never know if (1) that will be her final waking moment for the day or if there will be more (2) what mental and/or physical state she will be in with any given awakening. I’m her caretaker. She has Alzheimer’s and heart problems and the combination can sometimes cause other problems, whether real or imagined, which means I really don’t know how the day (and worse the night) will go till then.

    Otherwise, yes I agree one should not wait for something else to happen and just enjoy life as it is today. Believe it or not, that is really my ultimate goal, too.

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