Tuesday, Feb. 23
By Katherine Schneider, for the CVPost
What are you waiting for?
The vaccine? Spring? Seeing the grandkids?
How are you waiting? If you’re like the American poet John Burroughs (1837-1921), you’ve got it mastered, as the first stanza of his poem “Waiting” makes clear
“Serene, I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more ‘gainst time or fate,
For, lo! my own shall come to me.”
I’ve never been that peaceful about waiting. To the usual experiences of waiting, I add daily experiences of waiting for a once-a-week human reader to help me with mail and bills, for Facebook to restore to its newest upgrade a “Back” button that works for screen readers, for a specific website to improve access, etc.
John Milton’s sonnet on his blindness contains the line: “They also serve who only stand and wait.” Not much has changed in 500 years!
My initial reactions. . .
When initially told to wait, disappointment, distrust and anger flood my soul. When waiting on the phone, a mechanical voice telling me “Thanks for your patience” only makes it worse.
I can blame some of this impatience on the culture which provides instant almost everything, from mashed potatoes to same day delivery of that must-have gizmo from Amazon.
Then there’s the pandemic! They’ve coined a new word – “pangry” – for the irritation people are feeling about the health restrictions, waiting for vaccines and annoyance with other people’s behaviors.
When I look deeper, it’s the lack of control and the lack of trust that others will understand and meet the need to accommodate my disability that really have me hyperventilating.
Taming stress
Back to the basics for taming my stress:
- Acknowledge the feelings.
- Take a deep breath or two or three.
- Find something interesting to focus on while waiting.
- Get back into self-care routines that have worked in the past to lower general stress levels.
- Distract myself.
Read any good books lately?
Suzon Gordon says
Just finished Faye Kellerman’s “The Lost Boys”. Murder mystery and more if you like the genre.