Waiting is Action

We adults have plenty of opportunities to practice waiting: waiting at traffic lights, waiting in store holiday lines, waiting for an email reply to that Very Important Question, waiting for our delayed plane.

All of these moments are opportunities to practice being present. They provide space and time to take a few deep breaths, a moment to notice the sky, smile at a fellow traveler, to notice the tension of the moment and accept all of it’s sensations.

The moment the archer pulls the bow back is necessary for the arrow's flight.

Waiting is the essential flip-side of doing.

Waiting is action.

What would be possible if instead of giving into the grinding frustration of waiting, we took the moment as a gift. What if we entertained the idea that waiting is an invitation from the universe to slow down, relax, breathe? 

Bumping into our frustration is the perfect foil for us to notice our rushing and disconnection. Just as the archer pulls his bow back and pauses before releasing the arrow's flight; we, too, must occasionally draw back, pause and breathe. In filling our waiting with a few deep breaths, we charge our next action with presence and grace.