Waiting It Out

A column by Supervisor Alex Gromack

 

You know the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you have to go someplace or do something that you’re not looking forward to but there’s no way out.

 

It could be taking a trip to the principle’s office, enduring a root canal, viewing your child’s sixth annual portrayal of a freshly planted sapling at the school’s Arbor Day celebration or opening up your latest 401 K statement.

 

We all have those times. We’ve learned from bitter experience that if you drag out moments like those or worse try to avoid them, they’re far more painful in the end.

 

Since most of us shy away from painful experiences, we’d much rather face the music and dance the fast dance than be dragged kicking and screaming into the ballroom and made to suffer through a Strauss Waltz. Better to yank that band aid off in one swift pull than slowly pull it from the wound, millimeter by agonizing millimeter.

 

Unfortunately, there are some things we just have to suffer through and let them run their course no matter how much we would like to ‘get it over with’.

 

For instance, when we’re young we can’t wait until we ‘grow up’ so we can be out on our own, be our own boss, do our own thing, eat what we want and sleep when we want.  No matter how much we might want to rush the aging process, we just have to wait it out.

 

Some of us, if married, are still patiently anticipating becoming our own boss, doing our own thing and probably will be for the rest of our lives; not that there’s anything wrong with that.

 

Nevertheless, the whole waiting thing can get us down. I guess it’s human nature to want what we want when we want it. Of course, it’s easy to be philosophical about waiting when there’s nothing we can do about it.

 

Take winter for example.

 

During the dog days of August I got tired and annoyed watching the triple digit degree numbers magically appear on the Weather Channels’ national map, night after night after night.

 

Frankly I didn’t give a hoot what they were cooking on the sidewalks in Phoenix. I just wanted some relief.

 

I couldn’t wait to go outside and feel the cool breezes of a crisp autumn day. I wanted to see the glorious colors. Then still not satisfied, I couldn’t wait to see the first snowflake. I wanted to hang the holiday lights, decorate the tree and ski that mogul.

 

Now, still not satisfied, I can’t wait to put the thermal layered ski suit and gloves back in the attic. I’m fed up counting degree days and want the sun’s warmth on my neck to replace the wind chill on my face.

 

Bring on that global warming.  

 

I’m not sure if other life forms are as fickle and as impatient. I think it’s pretty much just us.