We can't control the outcome of certain things and we can't control other people (you can try, but that's called being a control freak). However, we can control how we wait: patiently or impatiently. Those are pretty much the only two options we have.
While I was waiting for this train to pass (all one hundred train cars give or take a few, moving at a pace slower than my youngest teenage son trying to clean his room), I was struck with the beauty of the perfect clouds, the bluest skies, and the vivid color swirls of graffiti art. I snapped a few pics while I waited and waited and...
How do you handle waiting? If you're in the writing game and you think this doesn't apply to you, you're doing it wrong. I wish we didn't have to wait, but that's a writer's life!
Some of you requested I post photos of the bathroom in Hannibal's newest downtown restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River:
I told you it was fun and photo worthy! Don't forget the 60th annual Tom Sawyer Days starts this week in Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown.
That's a unique bathroom.
ReplyDeleteIt is all in our attitude while we wait. And since it's usually something we can't control, why get all anxious or upset?
Yes, it is! I couldn't get my five-year-old daughter to leave. CHALK!!
DeleteI have a very tough time trying to handle waiting as patience is not one of my better known virtues. But, I am learning to wait patiently by keeping myself super busy!
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, I take photos of public restrooms while I wait. :)
DeleteAwesome photos.
ReplyDeleteI've grown more patient the longer I'm a mom. You realize things are completely out of your control and you really do have to roll with the punches. That translates to all of life, eh?
Thx! I agree. I've been a mom for a long time. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my patience more lately...summer vacation.
DeleteLOL! I totally get that. We're headed back to home schooling full time now that the baby is here, and whew! It's easy to forget how demanding full-time kids are.
DeleteOh! I have an award for you. *Mom high five* http://crystalcollier.blogspot.com/2015/07/very-inspired-by.html
I'm a pretty impatient person, but waiting is the game so I battle it by submerging myself into other projects or things to take my mind of the fact that I am waiting...and waiting...and waiting. :P
ReplyDeleteIt does help to get involved in other things!
DeleteI'm a pretty impatient person, but waiting is the game so I battle it by submerging myself into other projects or things to take my mind of the fact that I am waiting...and waiting...and waiting. :P
ReplyDeleteI am good at waiting, but waiting without doing something else is a waste of time. It's probably better to distract oneself with other projects than stare at a gmail account waiting for a response or the blog waiting for comments. There's so much to do in this world, even if it is staring at the clouds.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Yeah, I have to keep busy, which isn't too hard considering I have three kids.
DeleteAhh, waiting is the worst!! I usually immerse myself in something else—another project, a few books on my TBR list, etc. But it does feel like I'm always waiting for something!
ReplyDeleteLove your pics!! :)
Thx! In our world of instant everything, it's so hard to wait for anything. I love getting lost in a few good books.
DeleteI don't wait for anything anymore. If I'm not using my waiting time to work on something else, I get ansty. I'm not very patient.
ReplyDeleteI think I was actually one of the people who asked about that bathroom. It is pretty neat. :-)
Stories I Found in the Closet: IWSG Wednesday
I'm not very patient either, but kids will force you to be patient!! I know, right? A bathroom that you can actually write on the walls and not get into trouble.
DeleteWatching my kids grow up changed my perspective on waiting. Since they're both teens now, and far too close to adulthood for this mama, I try and enjoy every moment of most days. Even the moments spent waiting.
ReplyDeleteI hear you!
DeleteWhen I realize I'm getting anxious about waiting, I try to take a deep breath and find something to enjoy while waiting. Distracting myself with a new shiny is always good.
ReplyDeleteOh my word. I find myself taking deep breaths all the time. Usually this occurs when one of my boys calls me to tell me the lawn mower blew up (true story) or needs stitches/staples/broken bones set etc.
DeleteI do my best to be productive while waiting. Okay, can't do anything on that right now? Guess I'll do this instead.
ReplyDeleteThe kids get me though. It's like, I know you're only 4, but could you please try to eat a little faster? Ah well.
Kids can move pretty slow when you're in a big hurry.
DeleteWaiting is hard. I usually have to invest in some project to occupy my thoughts. Otherwise anxiety eats me alive.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, I love your description of waiting for the train to pass. That's about how I felt while waiting for my first book cover to be done. Waiting can seem interminable, so I try to focus on other things to keep me occupied. Otherwise, I'd have pulled all my hair out by now.
ReplyDelete"... moving at a pace slower than my youngest teenage son trying to clean his room." LOL! I bet that's pretty slow. I wait less on others than on myself. I always wish I could do things faster. On the other hand, the faster I go the more mistakes, I make which must be corrected later, so sometimes I have to slow down and be patient.... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI also take pictures when I'm waiting for something.
ReplyDeleteAs far as writing goes, I keep writing while I wait to hear on queries and submissions.
Like the Tom Petty song, The Waiting Is The Hardest Part. Patience is a virtue I'm still working on. One has to focus on the good things we have in life and build upon those while we are waiting.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm waiting around for something, I'll often try to keep myself occupied with a book or imagining a new/old story. Sometimes I even start counting things just to keep occupied.
ReplyDeleteI do anything that keeps me busy: hiking is number one, reading is number two, writing is number three.
ReplyDeleteI need to come to Hannibal again and plan it for when Tom Sawyer Days are happening.
I start reading a new book.
ReplyDelete