Why do we use the expression "the waiting game" as in "Now we play the waiting game"? I have heard this phrase many many times in my life but have never really thought about picking apart the phrase and giving it some serious consideration.
The word wait is used most often as a verb meaning to "stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens."
This week, I wanted to write about something that was difficult to put into words. I hope to highlight some of the different facets of the term "waiting" and the diverse implications that come with them. Is it really as much of a game as we make it out to be?
The first idea that came to mind was waiting in line.
The practice of waiting in line involves a process of give and take. By waiting in line, you eventually get to your destination, although probably not as fast as you would have liked to and infinitely more frustrating. Waiting in line and waiting your turn is a form of discipline we seem to have ingrained in us. Most of us will wait in line or queue up for a total of 5 years in our lifetime.
Another idea that is relevant is the process waiting to receive news (either good or bad).
I was a competitive figure skater for almost ten years and waiting became a word I heard almost daily. Whether it was at a competition waiting to get on the ice, waiting for my music to start, waiting for the results after my event ended, waiting anxiously as I watched my friends perform, or waiting to go out to dinner afterward, I did my fair share of waiting. Training was a waiting game. Mastering new and current skills and building consistency required a great deal of patience but also waiting for the right moment for hard work and a bit of luck to work together harmoniously. Every wait was emotional, entirely dependent on the context or situation.
I spend myself waiting for the world to get its act together quite often.
Waiting can be also viewed as a form of cowardice, choosing to stand back and watch the action unfold in front of you instead of joining in and standing up for what you believe in. In the aftermath of the tragic events of this past week, it is not ideal to sit back, wait, and watch the world throw itself even more into violent, hateful chaos. Waiting just allows all of this hate to bubble and grow out of control. It can often mask inability or unwillingness to act.
Waiting aimlessly can allow these prejudices and injustices continue on. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Waiting is extremely stressful. A moment spent taking action means more in the long run than waiting in the shadows for a repeat event.
Waiting can be a blessing in disguise. For me, it ranges from waiting for that rare Pokemon near the tire shop to finally reappear again to finally achieving a goal that has been almost twenty years in the making. It allows me to try to think logically and go in with a clear head and goal in mind. It has never gotten easier to wait but now I find myself not willing to wait as much as I used. I want to go out and do something like taking action instead of waiting my life away.
I have been told all my life that good things happen to those who wait. However, I find it is really not all that simple. While waiting can help clear one's mind and weighing different options by thinking about certain outcomes should be commended, sometimes it is not the course of action you should take. Sometimes by waiting, you miss out on potential moments of action that would be remembered than the time spent waiting.
After all, waiting is a game. It is up to you, the player, to choose whether you play or not.
