I am not, by nature, a patient person. I hate waiting - for anything.
This is the reason I don't like making hair appointments or doctor appointments or any other appointments really, ahead of time. I call the doctor's office the day I need to go in. If they don't have anything available for that day, I get 'first available'. I generally do walk-in hair cuts and if I walk-in and they wait is more than 10 minutes, I go elsewhere. Hate waiting.
Over the years, though, I have managed to secure a small measure of patience - or at least the ability to hide my impatience. LOL
Yesterday was a test of my ability. You see, Max has been sick. Not that he's an altogether 100% healthy cat anyway - what with his recurring mouth infections - but over the weekend, he was bad. He didn't want to eat or drink. All he wanted was to be left alone. (Another thing I hate doing.) By Monday, I had to admit that I'd done all I could and I called a veterinarian. They said bring him in but because they were already booked solid, he'd have to stay all day and they'd get to him when they could.
So, we dropped him off first thing and we came home to wait... and wait... and wait... I finally decided to lay down for a nap because we hadn't slept the night before and I was freakin' tired. Just as I was about to doze off, the phone rang.
Luckily, it was just a flare-up of his mouth infections and not his liver or kidneys going bad. He'll be able to come home today, most likely. I have to call over there in a while to see if we're still a go for that. So I woke up this morning to more waiting. And I really hate waiting.
Now, lest you think I'm all impatience personified, I have learned. I send out queries and I wait, because that's what one does. I don't bother people. Hey, I didn't call the vet every hour for an update, even though I was worried and even though we had to discuss the possibility of letting Max go to the big litterbox in the sky. I waited. I just hated it while I was doing it. Just like I hated the 6 month lead time period for that submission to that publisher. And the Oct 2012 to Jan 2014 wait for an answer from that other place (even after they said they'd get us all an answer earlier... and then again... and then...). But I did it.
Of course, waiting is easier to manage if you have something to keep your mind off it. Like this post. When I started typing, I had 20 minutes left to wait, and now I can go make the call and see if Max can be picked up.
;o)
How do you feel about waiting? Are you good at it?
Update: I have to wait until after 11am now. Arrghh!!
Holy crap - I had to read fast to get to the point where you told us if Max was OK! So glad he is - and, then, did you pick him up?
ReplyDeleteI'm not very good at waiting, either - but I try to use that time to be still, to sit and just BE (OK, not when I'm waiting for information about a cat or anything serious - talking hair appointments and such). I figure one doesn't get a chance very often any more to sit - and I also use it to catch up on my magazine obsession (I no longer subscribe, so when I get to go somewhere and have free magazines, I love it - have been known to go early so more wait/read time).
Again, glad Max is OK!
Sorry I made you read fast, Janet. We picked him up shortly after 11, and he ate a little, then a little more, then a little more. Now he's napping.
DeleteYou're a better woman than I, Janet. Although, once I'm at an appointment I have an easier time waiting. I just hate sitting around the house waiting for the time to leave to get to the appointment. LOL
Thanks! I'll give him belly scratches for you. =o)
Poor Max! I'm glad it wasn't something fatal.
ReplyDeleteI hate waiting, too. I often wind up reading, because I can hide in the story and lose track of time. Writing doesn't work as well; I can't concentrate if I'm waiting for something to happen.
Oh heck ya, Deb. I've brought him through too much to have him up and keel over on me now.
DeleteUgh, I can't focus on reading while I'm waiting. It's like a little part of my brain is going 'is it time yet? how about now?' and I end up reading the same paragraph a dozen times.
Poor little guy. At least it was treatable and he's coming home.
ReplyDeleteI pace. Or clean. Or pace and clean. I have to do something that requires no brain cells and keeps me physically active.
The poor little guy has decided, since he got home, he only wants salmon and roast chicken (the people kind). He's milking it, and we're letting him because he scared the crap out of us.
DeleteAh, yes, the cleaning. i do that, too, but only if I know I have enough time to finish a job I start. If I don't then I stew.
Glad Max is better and is probably home by now. I'm not really good at waiting either. But it is something one must do. I pretend to be all all nice about while inside, I'm zinging burnt marshmallows, wadded up seaweed, and some large bricks at whatever it is that's causing me to have to be patient.
ReplyDeleteWhy yes, I do have Revision Hell Burn-out Brain, why do you ask? I need one more day, and then it's on to the next set of edits and proofing. Speaking of...Chp. 27. Tomorrow. Friday at the latest. One less thing for you to be waiting on. ;)
Thanks, Silver. Yep, he's home and just now he wanted us to play with him, so he must be feeling like himself again.
DeleteYes, one must wait. And yes, on the inside (inside my head and/or inside my house), I'm a lunatic.
You've earned the RHBB. And it's a perfectly natural state for writers, LOL. You can do this! And with the way my week has been, I thought this WAS Friday. I've been so busy lately, I wasn't even thinking of you when I thought of waiting. You're the least of my waiting worries, so don't you worry about it. ;o)