Sort of waiting

I'm trained in a few things. Experienced in others. Gifted in one of two ways. But one grace, it seems, will always allude me. I don't wait well.

Okay, I can appear patient. Really though, if I'm waiting, I'm probably doing it by doing something else. If I'm waiting for a bus I'm actually planning my day, listening to music and having a cigarette just to have something (anything) to do. Now is a good example. I'm working on Friday afternoon but there is very little work I can actually do. I have plans for dinner tonight, but that's still hours away. So I'm waiting. And I do that, apparently, by blogging.

Getting things done requires a lot of waiting. So it's handy to have many things on the go at once. But even with all the projects I juggle, it feels that right now I'm waiting. I've got meetings, training and all kinds of work... starting Monday. I'm super anxious to visit a friend in Copenhagen... in just 2 weeks. I've got an interesting trip to Malaysia and Singapore planned... next month. I've even got plans for diving this weekend, but that won't be until Sunday afternoon. And after that dive, a lot of my regular buddies will be backing out, waiting until spring and sun again.

Some where a wise man is sitting under a tree. Just sitting. Very patiently waiting. And perhaps he'll wait tomorrow and the next day and the waiting won't bother him a bit. If I was told to wait three days under a tree then by the end of the first day I would have fashioned crude wooden tools from the lower branches. By the end of day two I'd have used the tools to fell the tree and split the wood into planks. By day three I'd have the tree turned into a small shelter with a large bonfire in front. And then I'd probably be told that the tree was magical and now, after my 3-day wait, would grant my wildest wishes.... but uhm, hey, where did the magical tree go?

Hopefully wise men who sit under magical (or otherwise) trees have the sense not to trust impatient people with important things.