When Waiting is Wasting
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This year has been ALL ABOUT WAITING hasn’t it? Waiting in endless lines at the store. Waiting for a vaccine. Waiting for election results.
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I find myself craving opportunities to JUST DO THINGS already.
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This life here- this strange, mysterious life- it’s short. Yet we spend so much of it focused on some far off point in the distance, thinking we’ll be happier when we get there.
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The question this year is: How can we stop waiting and start doing, when there are so many roadblocks in our way?
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We can begin by cancelling all the weird little rules we have about when and how we can use and wear and buy things.
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All those parameters we needlessly place on our enjoyment. The ways in which we reserve “special” things for “special” days and occasions and “if/when’s”.
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I’ve stopped waiting for some external marker of special, and started celebrating in small ways every day instead.
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For example:
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BEFORE: “I can’t wear that dress. I’ve got nowhere to go.”
NOW: “I don’t need to wait for an outing to wear beautiful clothes. If I want to rock a vintage designer dress in my backyard, that’s what I’ll do.”
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BEFORE: “Those candles are for display. The container looks nicer when it’s new.”
NOW: “I honour the present moment by treating myself in whichever way I please. I’ll light that goddamn candle and delight in watching in burn.”
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I’ve been surprised at how much enjoyment I can have on a small scale, when I stop waiting for something big to signal it’s time for a celebration.
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Wear the dress. Light the candle. Use the fine china. Have a dance party at noon.
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Stop waiting for “special” and embrace the sacred magic of the unremarkable right now.
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These little tweaks might sound small, but if you’re feeling restless, I promise you:
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Sometimes it’s the small changes that make the biggest difference.