Drums Fingers on Desk ...

The waiting game is a funny old thing.

It occurred to me today that whatever we do we always seem to be waiting for something.

Human beings don't seem to be very good at waiting yet we wait for so many things.

From Day 1 the waiting game starts... as parents we wait to conceive, then for the baby to arrive, to take baby home, for baby's first words and steps. We wait for the time when baby isn't so dependent on us having "only 5minutes ago" been desperate to have a baby there who needed us to love and care for it, who needed to be dependent on us!

We grow up, going through school, waiting for school to finish, to be grown up! To leave home, go to uni or get a job and "freedom". There's the wait for driving lessons, a car, a legal drink(!), the vote and even a mortgage!

As runners we continue to wait ... we wait for races, for training plans, for injuries to heel, for speeds to increase!

It seems as if there is always something we need to wait for! We never seem to have everything we want at any single moment in time be it waiting for a call, a letter or even a webpage to download! The wait is always too long. Humans have become so impatient!

It wasn't many years ago (relatively speaking) when to receive a letter was brilliant and to receive it within a couple of days was just amazing! We would walk or ride or (the posh!) take a horse and carriage. Taking all day to travel a few miles was accepted and now we have our fast cars and bikes we complain at waiting in traffic jams because it's delaying us! Is the world really a better place for all this speed?

Weight lose is another classic example! We want to lose weight but NOW not slowly! OK so it may have taken years to gain those 14lb but why should you wait 2 months to lose it! Be gone! Now! Tomorrow at the latest!

The London Marathon is another good one ... it takes place in April and within days someone will be asking when the entries for the next year are out! The magazine comes out in August and straight away the frenzy starts! This years race was only 4mths ago!! Entries don't close until October but people are asking when cheques will be cashed! Come October the cry will be "Has your cheque been cashed yet?" and "Am I in?" We sit and watch our bank accounts, trying to second guess the system and work out if we are in because we don't want to wait a few days until the next magazine comes out in November! Before long people will be asking when the March magazine comes out! Err March!!

Why can't we accept delay? The pace of life? Learn to relax and accept that not everything happens when we want it to happen! We're all so stressed and caught up in our own little worlds, a cocoon were nothing else seems important! When was the last time you stopped to smell the flowers? Do you only take in the view and the wild life when on a long run? (as long as you aren't following a training plan of course, you can't stop then!)

We all need to learn to relax and chill and accept some of the stresses and strains of everyday life after all we can't change a lot of them can we!?!

So next time you feel wound up, just take 5! Stop and breath deeply and observe your surroundings. Turn the TV off, take a stroll just because you can! Pick up a book and lose yourself in a different world. Think of white fluffy clouds or cute cuddly puppy dogs (like Fraggle's Charlie!!) breath, relax and start again! After all will stressing and worrying and waiting help you? Will you actually benefit? Nope I doubt if you will and hey if we can't change things they why worry! Just accept and relax and if you can change things, well stop moaning, stop waiting and make some changes!














I wonder when I will start to take my own advice?????







P.S ... when will the FLM cheques get cashed??