Slices of Life

By: Jill Pertler

My family and I are amusement park geeks. Always have been.

Non-amusement park aficionados see the long lines as a deterrent. Why spend so much time in line just waiting for the 90 seconds of roller coaster wonderment?

Seems like a waste.

Admittedly, there is a lot of waiting time while in the parks. Down time. Standing-in-line time. Ho-hum time. Fidget time. Mom, I’m bored time. Dad, I’ve got to go real bad time.

People who don’t appreciate the parks, or places like them, point out the long waits as reason enough to avoid the magic altogether.

That logic used to cause me to pause (often while waiting in line), but then I realized: isn’t most of life about waiting?

Waiting for the park to open. Waiting in line for the biggest roller coaster.

Waiting for the wedding. The births. The birthdays. The holidays. Vacation. The family get-togethers. For graduation. For the new job. For retirement.

Waiting for lunch or dinner. Waiting for the water to boil. Waiting for the garden to grow or the flowers to bloom.

Waiting for the next really big moment, or even the not-so-big moments. Standing in the proverbial queue.

Isn’t that life? The majority of the time, day in, day out?

Aren’t we just waiting for the Next Big Thing, or maybe even just waiting for the bathroom?

This, honestly, caused me to gulp. And ponder. And really, really think.

We’re all standing in a queue of one sort or another. It’s inevitable. We can’t ride the roller coaster every hour of every day of our life.

So we stand (or sit or lie) and we wait. But does waiting have to be simply just that?

I don’t think so.

Therein, lies the key.

Waiting in line (in the true or proverbial sense) is a life truth we all experience daily. In rush-hour traffic. At the airport and the grocery store. While on hold with the cell phone company. Waiting for the coffee to brew or the shower water to get hot. Time spent driving to work or pumping gas. Even at home, while waiting for the bathroom.

Standing in the queue is a reality for all us – whether it’s at a theme park or inside our own home.

Waiting is a part daily existence. It is inevitable and unavoidable. It is commonplace.

What we do while waiting, however doesn’t have to be.

Waiting can be meaningless or meaningful. I propose we attempt to make it the latter.

And it doesn’t have to be anything monumental or life-changing. It can be as inconsequential as putting together a mental grocery list. Or, better yet, a mental gratitude list. Maybe you hum a little tune or repeat a positive mantra or prayer. Maybe you just take a moment or two to focus on the peace within your own being.

If you are standing in a line with others you can tell a joke or play 20-questions or a hearty game of “I spy with my little eye.”

Bottom line, you can be present and do whatever you can to enjoy the moment – with yourself or with others. You can find fun in what appears to be the absence of it. You can discover and create meaning in what seems to be the absence of it. You can corral peace and contentment anytime, anywhere, while simply waiting for the next big moment. Your next big moment.

Even if that moment is waiting for the coffee to brew.

It might not be as exciting as a roller coaster, but it can be just as satisfying.

Am I right? Ponder that. But not for long. There are lots of other, bigger life truths worthy of your time and consideration – while waiting in line, of course.

Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.