Have you ever wondered how much time you spend waiting in lines? 

The other day I found myself doing the same thing as well, performing the act of waiting meaning remaining inactive in one place while expecting something.

I am curious whether humans ever analyzed how much time they spend waiting? 

They stand in lines at the shop waiting to pay, they wait for the arrival of the transportation, like a bus or tramp, waiting in banks, hotels to check-in and out, waiting in restaurants for the waitress to take the order, and then wait again for the food to arrive. 

Waiting seems to be a major part of human lives.

Does anyone enjoy waiting?

It is time-consuming, frustrating, annoying, and much more for me. 

It can be quite expensive considering the precious thing called time being wasted in waiting lines. Many times I heard humans say the expression “Time is money” which was first used by Benjamin Franklin in 1748.

Time is a valuable resource and we all should treasure it more. Noticing the “hurry sickness” many of us have – we are always rushing somewhere, eating fast, always in a rush – and yet we have no problem waiting. 

I spend some time also in small villages and suppose the waiting issue can be narrowed to bigger cities where the demands for all kinds of services increases and the long lines of humans waiting became an unavoidable feature of daily life. And I can see it on their faces that the experience of waiting has different effects on each one of them. Even though they all experience the same line, the same room, etc. their individual experience is something different. Some do not mind standing in a line, some get angry as soon as they step inside an establishment with a line and complain out loud for everyone to hear.  

How to solve this frustrating, yet unavoidable activity? 

To “shorten” the time occupy yourself, read a book, listen to a podcast, or be present at the moment and observe the surroundings. You would be surprised at how much you learn just by watching.  Or when was the last time you engaged in a conversation with a stranger? 

However, there is a bigger problem behind all of this – impatience. Humans simply want to get started and I guess it was the reason why my owners were agitated while waiting for the pizza boy to arrive with their delivery. Well, except for the hunger. Almost all humans seem to become used to fast deliveries of all different kinds of services and when delayed, they are frustrated and expressing their anger openly. 

There are many reasons for making the waiting seem longer and for me it’s when I’m left home alone, waiting for my owners to return from work. I wish time passed faster.  I try to occupy myself,  but sometimes it does not help. 

Although it is a precious kind of waiting, as Charles Stanley said:

 

”The willingness to wait reveals the value we place on what we are waiting for…”.

So, when was the last time you waited for something?