Saturday, June 11, 2011

Waiting

I had a seemingly frustrating day on Wednesday. My usual trip to the doctor to get prescriptions renewed turned out to be a whole morning affair as I was sent for xrays to determine the cause of various physical inconveniences. So, I spent time waiting in the xray place to go in to be 'done'; then waiting as my knees, hips, and back were adjusted in various positions for the xrays to be taken; then waiting to see if the xrays were alright or needed re-doing; then waiting for the developing and report to be prepared for my doctor. In the afternoon I visited the bank to make enquiries about changes and sort out my mother's account - and I waited to be served and attended to.

As I reflected while I waited, I realised that the frustrating thing was not so much the waiting as the fact that I had been unprepared to wait the length of time that I had to wait! I did not have a good book with me to pass the time, and the available magazines with empty/ superficial articles did not appeal to me. I also did not want to spend my sabbath waiting - I had other things planned, which of course, didn't get done! Then I reflected on how waiting is a factor of our lives, but we do not want it to be because it is not always comfortable for us to spend time in reflection - it is much easier to be distracted by busyness and to fill the time available with activities that keep our minds off ourselves.

The outcome of my day of waiting is that I am now setting more time aside to wait on myself and what is going on in my life so that, with the insights received, I can be more fruitful and effective in what I do. And while I do this waiting, I sit in such a way that my core muscles are strengthened and my posture corrected so that the vertebrae between which a disc has 'gone' are properly aligned and held in place and therefore less likely to cause pain and discomfort.

It's important for me to get this right so that I am not an old crock by the time I welcome my granddaughter into the world!!