Embracing the Wait.

Over the last few months I have talked to many different friends who are all in some stage of waiting.

There's the girl who received and offer, but has yet to get the contract. There's the guy who was told an offer was coming, but has yet to receive it. There's the woman who was asked to do a revision, but has yet to get the notes. There's the man who is waiting to hear back from a prospective agent, and another who has yet to hear back from his own agent. There are several who are waiting for inspiration. There's my friend who's agent is on vacation, thus a wait for her return. And there's my friend, who IS an agent, who is waiting to hear from an editor. Not to mention several more who have confirmed contracts but have yet to chat with their new editor. Or, are waiting for their cover/notes/book/ ARC... you name it.

Each of my friends are dealing with some degree of anxiety over all of this. And sadly, it struck me that this waiting thing never really ends. So why do we let it freak us out so much?

I was talking to SF yesterday about this and I came to the conclusion that maybe we were "blessed" to be a witness to all this waiting because it will inevitably prepare us for our own waits. Patience is a virtue, no? Perhaps we need to stop hating all this waiting and learn to appreciate it. To love it, even.

To see it as a form of mental training - the kind that prepares us for bigger, grander things.

I can see how some of my hardships in other areas were blessings that prepared me for the future, but I have never been able to do this with "waiting." But isn't it the same?

Don't get me wrong. I am not a proponent of non-action. My friends know that I am rather aggressive when it come to being pro-active about my career. But, there is a time to act, and there is a time to "wait."

And so today, I have decided to embrace it.