Hurry up ... and wait!
How can we get through life less frazzled?
Doesn’t life sometimes feel like a game of hurry up .. and wait!
- Rush to turn in the time sensitive school project. Wait for days, okay, a semester to find out your grade.
- Race to the carnival with all the little bits. Wait behind 37 other kids to get on a ride. (Phew, met the height requirements!)
- Hurry to the pharmacy. Inside service is closed. Drats. Wait behind a trail of cars in only one working lane.
- Text your mother an important question. Wait for the little dots to stop flashing. (And hope she’ll remember to push send.)
- Study for your driving test for a month solid. Get to the DMV. Wait in line, and then the other line, and then, oh right, that other line.
- Dash from the airport ticket counter to TSA check. Wait. Wrong line, say what? Go around. Wait again. Socks off, belt off, computer out, water dumped, nail clippers confiscated. Scanned. And off to the extra inspection area (cuz you have bobby pins in your hair).
- Hurry for the last movie showing of the night. Wait to find the manager. Wait again for the manager to track down the caption device. Wait for it to be rebooted.
This all-too-familiar list wasn’t intended to make any of us feel overwhelmed or even guilty by these crazy busy lives we live. That’s life. It’s crazy. It’s busy.
But when our hustle and bustle turn into festered and frazzled living, then it may be time to reevaluate the kind of life we really want to live.
Here are five tips to help you win the hurry up and wait game victoriously:
- Talk with the people you’re with. If you’re in line at the carnival, get off your phone and talk with the fam. Be present and just chat.
- Take time to thank. People who are just doing their jobs, are well, just doing their jobs and are probably under a lot of stress. Thank them for their service.
- Do a little breathing. Sometimes the best thing we can do as we sit and wait is to just slow down and take deep breaths in and out. That long line in front of you means you can put your car in park, clothes your eyes for a minute and just breathe.
- Compliment and encourage. Sometimes, for example, people have slow thumbs (aka your mother texting you), but words of encouragement and compliments go a long way. “By the way mom, you’re awesome!”
- Smile. That’s the part we forget the most in a busy, hectic life. But smiling not only does us a world of good but it also lifts others. 😀
What do you do to victoriously get through the hustle and bustle and stay happy? Comment below!
Picture descriptions:
Title Image: Long line of people waiting to give their ticket and get into the fun center. Up first is an lady is handing her ticket to the ticket collector. Next is a mom holding her child’s hand looking at her watch. The teen behind her is looking at his phone. And the next to last guy has his hands down to his side looking at the front of the line. The last person is running to get into line.
A chaotic scene at work. Time is ticking. people running around, papers flying, hands on head in distress, and in the center is a man sitting on his desk in a yoga position.
Quote on red background: “Life is what is happening while you’re making other plans. Live it.”