THE WAITING GAME.

As a culture, we seem hell bent on living a life in search of instant gratification. We want our new house now, our new car now. The newest clothing fashions, electronics, home decor, software...now, now, now. If not now, it's too late. We want our Internet connections faster, our fast food faster, our dating faster, and our weight loss fastest of all. We want all the episodes of our favourite T.V. shows all at once, without commercials, instead of once a week. We want 11 second video vines instead of thoughtful film. We want 140 character "tweets" instead of meaningful thoughts put to paper (real or electronic). We want our online purchases shipped overnight and God protect those companies short on stock.

"Good things come to those who wait" seems to have been overshadowed by "I got mine, got yours yet?"

And so what, then, happens when we are forced to wait for something we want right now? Well, we seem to have become a culture of horn honking, foot stomping, ulcer suffering, bad Yelp review writing, 2 year old's in adult bodies.

And here is the bad news...Waiting is not going away. We will always end up waiting for something. The Doctor or Dentist will be running behind, the restaurant will be busy, the mechanic isn't quite done with your car, the train blocking the intersection is going back and forth,...there will always be something.

So what do we do? Well, waiting is not going away so, time for a change in attitude, time for a change of view, time for...Ahh, time. Time is the answer. We currently look at waiting as a waste of time. Why don't we look at it as an opportunity? Use that time...you're just hanging around anyway.

READ. I hear people say "I have no time to read!" Sure you do. Sitting in a waiting room some where? Read a book, use a tablet, hell, we all have a phone that is an entire library that fits in your pocket. Read something.

LISTEN. We have all pulled up to the house right in the middle of a great song and sat in the car until it was done. Stuck in traffic? Crank the tunes and enjoy! Switch to talk radio and learn something. Plug in an audio book and well, read with your ears.

WATCH. Stuck in a lineup at the grocery store or retail store? Look around. Watch the people around you. People are funny and, therefore, fun to watch. Or Read...or Listen.

TALK. Waiting in a restaurant and the food is a bit slow? Who cares, have another glass of wine! You are there with friends or family...talk to them....that's why you are really there anyway. Dining alone? Read, Listen, Watch.

We have a lot of technology at our fingertips these days. Use that technology to ease the pain of waiting. Or, ignore the tech and enjoy the people we are with or around. Make waiting a relaxing thing, a learning thing, a fun thing.

Unless you have to pee...then all bets are off.