The Waiting Room

We've all been there at one time or another. Sitting in a waiting room for an appointment with someone. Some appointments are initiated by us because of a routine need or circumstance while others are made because of an emergency.

We do our best to arrive on time however we might be running late due to traffic or a meeting that was hard to extricate ourselves from so we walk in anxious. Or we could have had a distressing conversation with someone prior to our appointment and we arrive sad, mad or afraid...basically upset.

Finally we arrive, we get checked in, settle in to our seat hoping to soon be able to start our appointment visit. Lots of things happen in and around us in that waiting room. Mostly what happens is in our minds and our emotions because we aren't good at waiting...and here we wait and we wait. When it feels like we've waited way too long we become impatient, angry, frustrated, bored, anxious, we get grumpy and may even start to feel dread. We look up every time the inner door opens. We try to distract ourselves with cell phones or other reading. That only works for so long. We check our watch.

We decide to check in at the desk to find out how much longer it's going to be and we even have to wait our turn just to ask that question. Depending on the answer, we may even think about leaving and rescheduling...but this same scenario may play out all over again. So we decide to wait.

Finally the door opens and in anxious or frustrated disbelief we hear our name called. At last...we begin the walk down the hallway into the unknown, the uncertainty of the outcome of the appointment. We might tell ourselves at least we're out of the waiting room moving forward.

One of the learning lessons about being in a waiting room is you can't hurry what needs to happen in there. Whether it's literal or metaphorical, it seems to have its own rhythm. And isn't life just full of metaphorical waiting room opportunities! For example, waiting for a broken bone to heal, waiting to hear about a raise or promotion or termination. Waiting for a divorce, waiting for a diagnosis, waiting for the birth of a child...or for me, waiting for my life to move forward after my husband died.

In that metaphorical waiting room life really slows down to provide the opportunity for personal growth as well as spiritual growth if you choose. It's what we do with that time that seems to be most important and relevant. It feels like the task is to soften into the experience, embrace it, accept it, pay close attention to it and then let go of the longing to be elsewhere.

We are being given the time to take a look at ourselves, our thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, ideas and emotions about our experience. If we've had trouble asking others for help we might find ourselves doing that if we need it. Maybe we become more compassionate or kinder or grateful or maybe become angrier and more afraid or anxious. There is so much that can happen for us in our various waiting rooms. I'm not suggesting it's an easy room to be in and it isn't always fun...I think its just necessary for our life journey.