Waiting Room

What are you waiting for at this very moment? An Amazon package? The clock to strike 5? A party happening this weekend? A movie about to come out? A new job? To meet the one? We seem to be always waiting for something that this philosophical, Sisyphean routine we grow to hate is really just a big fat waiting room. However, this concept then requires the opposite to exist—how often do you visit the Living Room? The room where you wish for nothing to change and would freeze it forever if you could.

Say you are having a bad day at work right now, or just hate your current job, or lack thereof. Whatever might be the case, how often are you eagerly waiting to do something else? The Waiting Room can be as big as a Seattle trip you are extremely excited for (hehe), or as small as waiting to clock out and getting cozy on the couch. Sometimes the Waiting Room can be related to things that have nothing to do with you. A friend of mine loves to get paid (obviously) but also so she can add money to her savings account and enjoy the accomplishment of seeing the number get bigger. Another friend of mine likes to wait for 1:30 outside her job specifically because a group of ducks love to have a council meeting outside her window. I once spent the whole day at work in the Waiting Room because it was my friends birthday outing that night, and I was so excited for the outfit I was going to wear. I think during COVID-19 quarantine, we all had a habit of ordering Amazon more than normal, just as something to look forward to. Even a co-worker that you wish would just be quiet so you can have a moment of reprieve, counts as a Waiting Room. What do you find yourself waiting for? A text back? A date? A version of yourself you haven't become yet?

Now comes the antithesis—the Living Room. Moments that you wish could last forever and tend to go by quicker than normal. Moments where you aren't waiting for something better because you are inside the better. A night with friends, a sleepover with your significant other, a concert, a cruise trip. It feels like this room comes with a maximum occupancy time limit because not all of us are in it at the same time—nor are we in it for very long (at least that's what has been conveyed through my incoming census). As I type, I understand that the goal with relationships and moments throughout your life is to have the majority of them be in the Living Room. At least my goals stem from my impatience in the Waiting Room and wanting to reside in the Living Room as much as I can. Those who manage to nab their dream careers might have the opposite Living Rooms as those who hate their job, but dream of what they have to come home to every night. The tragedy within Living Rooms is not how rare or often they might invite you in, but that we only recognize them once we have already returned to the Waiting Room.

Per usual, a poll has been conducted. Shockingly (sarcasm), A LOT of us spend most of the time in the Waiting Room—which does contribute to how much more we appreciate the time in the Living Room. This note, I found quite interesting. The more time in the Waiting Room only has us appreciate the Living Room one hundred times more. A small example could be your wait in line for a rollercoaster. If you've ever been to Disney, you know those are two-hour wait times, but you might have fun chatting with friends while you wait, or playing charades. Versus the actual time spent on the ride—which is only one-to-two minutes tops. A larger example for instance, a friend of mine saved up to buy a Bronco after quite a bit of saving, and yes I will be stealing it. The amount of time and labor spent in order to acquire something new, makes that sense of accomplishment worthwhile. The same could be said for graduation, or being accepted into grad school—the sense of completing something that required effort, drive, and money, makes the ride in the Living Room, much more enjoyable.

There are also those who spend time in the Waiting Room when they don't need to, or worse, feel that they deserve to. Bad relationships, dead-end jobs, fears keeping them down, the list is endless. I understand the plethora of possible factors that might contribute to their overall wait-time in the Waiting Room, but if you find yourself miserable in the room waiting because something is physically blocking you from the better room, please change something. The value in whatever that blockage might be, does not outweigh the value you must have in yourself. The change itself does not need to be a career altering, or require the birth of a child, it can be so small as trying out a cooking class, or changing up your hairstyle. Your eligibility for happiness is not as far as it may seem, nor is it limited. Time is though, so don't spend it waiting, spend it living.