Life is exquisitely hard. It takes energy, motivation, and a healthy mindset that believes a “good” life is even possible in the first place. But the waiting. Ugh. Tolerating the psychic space of possibility is an ever-present shadow, quietly creeping between reality and what we plan for ourselves. Waiting to finish school, waiting to get married, waiting for a promotion, a home, or a pregnancy. Waiting for biopsy results, a check in the mail, or perhaps waiting for something more nebulous, like “growing up.”

For all intents and purposes, it seems to me that life is lived in the waiting.

Of course, I’d love to find a way to speed things up to get to my “better life,” but if I’m making myself miserable in the pursuit of that better life, am I actually creating one?

What if we shifted some of the anxious “waiting” energy we have toward finding enjoyment in it? Many of us have practical strategies for making time pass more quickly when waiting for something measurable, and I wonder if we could apply those to a broader, more macro level.

For instance, consider how a simple deck of cards not only makes time appear to move more quickly when waiting for a missed bus, but also offers the transformational bonus of being fun and rewarding. What if that could be applied more broadly? If someone was waiting eight months until graduation, what might it look like for them to “play cards” during that time? How could they transform the “waiting” experience so that they were not merely counting down the days, but living a fulfilling life concurrently?

An unintended result of living this way is the mitigation of disappointment when plans don’t quite work out the way we envisioned. At least we had fun in the meantime!

Life has to be intentionally sought out and lived, or it will be experienced as a fruitless urgency while we wait for it. On a real human level, I am with you. I want life to speed up so I can get to the “better part”. But today, I’m going to bathe myself in gratitude for all I have, take deep breaths outside, and remain open to seeking side quests, subplots, and self-growth.

What are some strategies you have for macro-level “time-passing”? I’d love to hear how this resonates with you and what comes up in your body as you consider what this might look in practical terms.

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