When

It’s hard to wait.

Today’s culture is full of instant gratification. We’re full of ways to get what we want much faster than what might be natural. And it’s been part of our lives for so long that we’ve gotten used to it, forgetting how things used to be.

Before microwaves? Heating on a stovetop or in an oven. Before that? Over a cookfire.

Before instant text messages? A phone call. And a landline phone call with an answering machine at that. Before that? You actually had to travel to someone’s house or mail them a letter.

Before flipping a switch for instant light? A candle or lamp that had to be struck with a match or flint, making sure the wick was just right to cast the amount of light you needed.

So it’s only normal to hear kids (and ourselves) ask WHEN??

When is dinner? When can I have screen time? When will this appointment be over? When will you be home tonight? When will this sickness be gone? When will I ever be out of debt? 

Sometimes we have answers for these when questions, but sometimes we don’t. It’s what we do in the meantime that counts.

A math teacher of mine in high school had a phrase written on the board that has stuck with me — hustle while you wait. Instead of grumbling and asking the when questions repeatedly (when will class be over?!?), or wasting time just being lazy while waiting for something, do something productive.

What is a when question you’re asking today? What is something you can do while you wait?

 

31Days of Five Minute Free Writes is a participation in Write31Days, which takes place every October. See the rest of my craft-practicing posts linked up here. 

 

*Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash