“How long is the wait?” I ask the two guys behind the desk after I pummel my way through the crowds at Famous Dave’s on Saturday night.
“How many in your party?”
“Six.”
“At least an hour and fifteen minutes. Name please?”
“What? Sheesh. Okay. Raj. Party of six. But if there’s any way you can get us in sooner…?”
“Not likely. But we’ll try.” Standard response. Standard lie if you ask me—unless…
“Peters. Party of seven?” The host with the mic in his hands announces.
“Did I say party of six?” I rub my tummy like I’m prego, and smile. “I meant party of seven.”
Raised eyebrows, laughing ever so slightly, host with the microphone shakes his head at my futile attempt to steal someone’s table, and repeats, “Peters. Party of seven.”
A little later, I hear him say, “Sunny, Party of four?” What are the chances?
“Hey, my hubby’s name is Sunny, and I have four kids. That could work.”
“Sunny, Party of four.” Mic Man repeats, shaking his head at my second attempt to snag another family’s place. After watching the movie Date Night, you’d think I had better sense, but the smell of ribs and barbeque sauce has a way of muddling the best of minds.
Next, a short guy with a loud voice comes up to the hosts to complain that he hasn’t been called yet. “Dude, you better call my name quick, cuz my stomach is about to eat my liver.”
“Sir, your turn is next.” Mr. Calming Voice Host assures hungry man.
I wait for him to leave and mosey on back up and ask, “So what’s the best bribe you’ve ever received for a speedy seating?”
“$100.” No hesitation. Not whispered either.
“Seriously?” Cuz I don’t have a hundred shmacks. For $100, I’ll take a week’s supply of ribs to go—and still have change left over for a slice of bread pudding.
“That was back in the day when we were a private venue.”
Thanks for the clarification. That makes it less criminal. For sure. “Yeah, but has anyone ever offered you a really cute four year old?” I’m kidding. Mostly.
“Mom!” My oldest protests. “And don’t tell them about your blog either!”
“That reminds me, read much?’”
“Mom!!!!”
By the time they call my name, I have discussed the Giants, the Bulls, Asian restaurants in Flushing, and menu suggestions with various customers. Minutes passed, and few new friends laters, our stomachs are growling.
“Jones. Party of six? Jones, Party of six. Last call. Jones. Party of six.”
He points to me and holds up six fingers. Smiling big, I nod yes. But for my kids—well—really for me, I say, “Aren’t you gonna say it over the mic?”
He laughs. Takes a deep breath, and says with perfect imperfection, “Ray, party of six.”
Epic Fail. Oh well. But at least we were on our way to sitting and that much closer to finger-licking goodness. And thirty minutes sooner than our host predicted!
The Famous Dave’s guys naturally demonstated how many of life’s questions receive one of three basic answers:
1. Yes.
2. No.
Or quite often…
3 Wait.
So what do you do when you’re in that place of waiting that won’t get you arrested or thrown out of a restaurant. How do you pass the time? And how do you keep from gravitating to either extreme of delusion or despair?
If you’re waiting on a response that involves a career advancement, examples would be:
They just can’t figure out whether to go with roses or tulips for my welcome basket. [Delusion]
or
They black-listed me. They want nothing to do with me.They hate me. [Despair.]
Unless you’ve sent illegal blackmail threats, they most probably don’t hate you. In many cases, they don’t even know you.
So here are my top five tips of how to survive and maybe even enjoy waiting it out. In today’s economic climate, chances are, many of us will spend a fair amount of time waiting, so instead of running from the inevitable, gather a few management options. In my hubby’s profession, they call it preventive medicine. Because these tips might just prevent you from diving off the deep ends of either delusion or despair.
While waiting, consider doing one of the following:
1. Work on your craft or skill set. Read up on it. Webinar classes to get up to date. Take a pertinent class at a community college. This choice will show any future employer that you’re an initiator and a lifetime student. We all have room to improve. And consider working a less prestigious job for a short season. If it pays the bills? We all have to do things we’re not thrilled about at times.
2. Work out. Exercise. Join a gym. Or if that’s out of your budget, between Cable Fit TV and YouTube, you can find an ample supply of routines that are sure to wake up any sleeping muscles and keep you from putting on undesired winter weight. In fact this winter has been so mild, you can actually still get a run or walk in most days. I ran yesterday. I hated it. But I’m thinking about the picture I want to see on the back of my future books. So I kept running until I hit 2.5 miles. Now I’m a size 2. Not really. But working out helps to relieve stress and you usually sleep better too. Many full time working folks have difficulty finding time to routinely exercise, so this is the perfect time to jump start your heart and a good habit.
3. Spend time with people you care about. I find this a hard thing for Americans to do. We get so caught up in the search or web surfing for that one breakthrough opportunity, they lose track of time, and days pass before they’ve taken time to have any lengthy face to face time with their loved ones. Facebook or Facetime do not count. The pressure to find an opening drives them, but they don’t realize they’re driving a wedge between themselves and their support systems. With this extra time on your hands, make sure to spend some of it with your friends and/or family.
4. Volunteer. The options are endless for positions where someone needs a helping hand but the job doesn’t pay. Monetarily that is. But that doesn’t mean you won’t benefit in other ways. Coach a kids’ sports team. Help an elderly neighbor with their yard. If you’re able to travel to an area hit by a natural disaster, take a day trip and help clean up and rebuild.
5. Revisit an abandoned love. Pick up a hobby or an interest that you lost touch with due to time or circumstance. Or pursue a new one that you’ve always dreamed about. I know when you’re looking for work, you want to limit any additional expenses, but there are plenty of creative ways to try things at less cost. For example, if you Volunteer [there’s that “V” word again] at a venue, you can often get in for free or at a largely discounted price. And I’m a big advocate of your local library. Not only can you borrow books and Dvds, [for a limited time of course,] libraries nowadays offer Salsa, Zumba, and even self-defense classes for almost nothing.
It’s a matter of motivation, adaptation, and hunting. And I’m sure there are other ingredients you can throw in the mix, and other ideas that will help pass the time. But the above list outlines my five cents for the day.
Whatever you decide to do while you’re “waiting” I encourage you not to spend twenty four hours a day staring at your smart phone, watching random YouTube videos, or scrolling through your Facebook Homepage. Chances are, your next great opportunity is bound to pop up on someone’s status update. NOT!
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So what about you? How do you handle life’s waiting rooms?
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Thanks for the reminder Chip!! 🙂
Most everything I treasure came after waiting.
Sometimes good things happen when we wait, Raj.
Thanks so much Joy!! Just seeing your smiling face brought a smile to my face! I know I’m seeing you in Dallas RIGHT!?!?! Can’t wait to hear how your months have been.
Thanks always for your sweet and encouraging comments. About my humor…I’m a little off…but you probably figured that out by now! 😉
Sending prayers right back atcha!! ♡♡
Raj,
I loved this post! Life is so much waiting isn’t it? Tip #3 really jumped out to me. While we wait, we have the TIME to spend with our loved ones. Beautiful reminder.
I love your humor, friend! You crack me up. Blessings to you as you wait. Praying God’s favor upon you today.