Tag Archives: waiting

Aug15

a form of action.

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after my recent post

about waiting a long time for ice cream

i had yet another epic episode of waiting

when i stopped by the post office

(i honestly love the post office, the joy of mailing things… )

the photo above shows how many postal workers

were at the counter when i walked in

i read the sign and waited

what if there is no available clerk?

what if there is no clerk at all?

still waiting

 i’m not a person who minds waiting in line

 usually end up bonding with the line

at a certain point in the process

we support each other

by talking, guessing how long it will take

showing pictures, imagining scenarios

the line kept getting longer

and

yet longer

not one person left

a man sitting in a chair

called out

‘what happened?’

every so often.

one person called home to say

‘we’re here in line and there’s one working at the post office.’

we finally saw one worker

walk from the back to the counter

she’d been getting a pile of mail

for the man in the chair

this friendly smiling young woman

announced to our line

‘i’m the only person here until 11.’

it was 10:10

she was un-frazzled

stayed calm and professional

another person in line

called the post office from their cell phone

thinking another worker in back might pick it up

no one answered because their one employee

was at the counter

helping our long line

we reassured her

we weren’t upset with her

amazed how well she was handling it

she quietly called up each person

when it was finally my turn

i told the line

 my business would be quick

one responded

‘that’s what they all say!’

now the whole line

was laughing together

no one was upset

they were happy

when it only took a couple of minutes

to get my package on its way

right before i left

i noticed a mini post office

very detailed

made of

paper and cardboard and paint

set up on her counter

i asked who had made this

she told me it was her

wow

now this is someone

who loves her job

 is an artist

has incredible patience

even under pressure

 i would like to nominate her

to be the postmaster.

‘patience is also a form of action.’

 -auguste rodin

Aug14

‘between the wish and the thing the world lies wating.’ – Cormac McCarthy

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still waiting on the front porch

for the ice cream truck

to come down our street

i hear

 the faint sound

of chimes

in the distance

any minute now…

—

 

“Oh, how long Me seems it, ere the promis’d help arrive!”
-Dante, The Divine Comedy, (Virgil character)

 

 

 

 

 

—

on a neighborhood walk in ann arbor, michigan, usa – summer 2026

 

Dec3

control.

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when having snow tires put on my car

had an early appointment

brought my laptop and a giant coffee

to settle in for an hour and a half or so.

while waiting

i planned to write and read and catch up on things

knowing there is always something going on

with any group of fellow ‘waiters.’

i sat at a high table to make for easy typing

 most everyone else sat in the lower, more comfortable chairs

quite soon after my arrival, the ambiance changed.

on the left side in front of me

a woman sat down

in the seat next to the remote control for the tv

meant to help the time pass, amuse, and distract everyone.

she immediately took control of the controller

switching whatever channel had been on

to fox news.

the woman in the family to my right

politely asked if she would mind changing

the channel from fox to something else.

she said yes and all good

in no time

we were all watching baywatch reruns

in high def, on the big screen, 90s music pumping

those red bathing suited beauties

running on the beach, boating, emoting, doing pull-ups, rescues, looking hot, and whatnot

and david hasselhoff, the hoff.

the workers at the tire store desk were mesmerized

some young enough to never have seen it before

some old enough to have had the poster and remembering.

i refilled my coffee

 the channel was not changed again

throughout my entire (now 2 hour), wait.

new customers coming in had mixed reactions

what an early holiday surprise!

“of all men’s miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing.”

-herodotus

Oct5

loose ends.

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 gargoyle

at loose ends

while waiting to defend the castle. 

 

—

“she wasn’t bored, just restless between adventures. “

-atticus

‘

Nov7

and now, nachos. while we still wait.

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The NYT has traced the first nachos back to Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1940, with just three ingredients. As the story goes, a group of women walked into the Victory Club in Piedras outside business hours. Aiming to please, Ignacio Anaya, the maître d’hôtel known as Nacho, ran to the kitchen and made a quick appetizer with ingredients he found. Today’s nachos know no end to their variations: They can have a number of seasoned layers or simply be topped with cheese sauce, like those sold at concession stands. But the simplicity of its original, with its barely salted chips, nutty melted cheese and briny pickled jalapenos, is sure to charm true nacho fans.

 

“we’ve all invested emotionally in nachos.”

-conan o’brien

 

 

—

credits: Christoper Simpson(NYT) and Simon Andrews- food stylist (NYT)

Nov6

waiting.

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waiting.

(not me, but a local who has a similar style)

—

 

“patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.”

-joyce meyer

May9

sink right in.

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walking with the grandies

they are mesmerized

by the carpet of tiny flowers in the grass

and sink right in. 

 

—

“life is always a rich and steady time

when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.”

-e.b. white, ‘charlotte’s web’

Apr13

awaiting.

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the playground sits

quietly

awaiting the return

of the children. 

—

 

“it is very strange that the years teach us patience —

that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.”

-e. taylor, A Wreath of Roses

Oct26

swim out to it.

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when eating lunch with my daughter

she looked at.her sandwich

and noticed that one half had more of the ‘good stuff’ she liked inside

as she began to set it aside to save it for later

I asked why she didn’t eat the one she preferred right now

when it was fresh

it would make her happy

 it would not help or harm anyone

if she did or did not

and if she waited until later

it might be mushy and cold

or it may be accidentally dropped to the floor

and then she would not really have enjoyed either half

and who knows

 what could happen before she eats the second half

(granted, a bit dark and extreme on my part)

never knowing what is to come

good or bad

 why wait and not live life fully right now?

she agreed and ate the one she preferred 

(she’s probably hoping for a quiet lunch in her office tomorrow)

but I think it’s a good metaphor for life:

eat the sandwich, the one with the good stuff,

when it is served to you on a plate,

and sitting on the table before you

just waiting for you to pick it up and enjoy it

don’t save it for later.

—

“don’t wait for your ship to come in – swim out to it. ”      

-jerry smith

Oct13

the wait is over.

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i didn’t even know I was waiting

or that it was coming

but clearly they did

and we are celebrating.

 

—

‘It is a great piece of skill to know how to guide your luck even while waiting for it.”

-baltasar gracian