Hurry up and wait!

While reading a girlfriends status update on Facebook, it infuriated me to find out she waited over an hour for her doctors appointment. What shocked me even more was to hear everyones comments on "Oh they double booked", "It's all about the money", "the doctor must have been busy at the hospital", Blah, Blah, Blah. Sounds like a bunch of lame excuses to me! I was probably just like every person who made those comments years ago when I was younger and didn't know any better.
Years ago, probably about 14 years ago, I was waiting around in the pediatricians office with Connor. He was still a baby. I was taking him in for one of his scheduled visits for shots or boosters or something like that. I remember waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I vividly remember looking at my watch to see how much time I had been waiting to see the doctor. I would see people come in, sit down, then get called back. This went on and on for about 45 min. Needless to say, I was a bit annoyed. When the next patient got called back, I got up and went to the receptionist and politely asked why it was taking so long. The receptionist non chalantly said, "oh the doctor is just a little overbooked today, because of sick kids that we squeezed into the schedule". I leaned over the counter and said, "Well as far as I'm concerned, I had an appointment scheduled for today weeks ago and I have been waiting patiently for over 45 minutes now. So the poor little sick kids you squeezed into to schedule can get squeezed in after my appointment and every other appointment scheduled weeks ago." I will never forget the look on the receptionist face. How dare she look at me like I'm some kind of Criminal. I was absolutely right. They were wrong. When she told me "As soon as the Doctor had time, she would get me back, I said, "I think its funny how you think my time as well as everyone else time out here isn't valuable too. How about this. I will send the doctor a bill for my time that was wasted here waiting for her!" She didn't like that either. I can tell you this, I have never waited again.
That kind of senseless waiting makes me mad, but it occured to me, I wait much more than I thought. It's the mother/wife kind of waiting. Waiting for the kids to do what you tell them too. Waiting for the garbage to be taken out, waiting for the wash to get done, waiting for the clothes in the dryer to dry, waiting for the bathroom, waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for a piece of equipment at the gym, waiting for a friend, waiting for your husband to get home for dinner, waiting for the bus in the morning, waiting for the bus in the afternoon, waiting for sports practice to end and so on and so forth. Believe me when I tell you the list goes on and on. It's not so much the waiting for some of these things because it just sort of goes without saying, its what happens to a person while they have to wait. For instance, when Regan and Ian get off the bus in the afternoon, they can easily walk home. Certain days, if the the weather is bad, I will go to the bus stop to get them. What really ticks me off is when I am waiting and waiting, the bus comes and they are not on it. They got off at another stop!
My favorite story and probably the crowning glory of all waiting stories has to do with my best friend, my husband. I can tell you that for a long time he was not my best friend. He was enemy number 1. He pushed me to the limits one night. Those of you that know me, know that I don't physically attack. I like to verbally attack. I get much more satisfaction out of cutting you to the quick than I ever would of physically hurting you.
When Pat and I were very young and just married, it was a hard adjustment for both of us. Actually it was a hard adjustment for me. Pat was still living the same life he had always lived. Mostly ever night, when I got home from school and from picking up Connor from daycare, I would go home and make dinner before Pat got home from work. Some nights Pat would come home and some nights Connor and I would just sit there at the table and Pat would never show. The first couple of times this happened, I was worried something bad had happened. Then Pat would walk through the door a few hours later and say he was at Neptunes for happy hour. I would be so mad. He would apologize and it would be over. Thinking this would never happen again, next week would come, and Pat would do the same thing. This got old real quick. One night, I called down to the bar, he liked to go to. The bartender said he was there. So, I packed Connor up and headed to the bar. Little did Pat know I was on a mission. When I walked through the door with Connor, Pat gave me the warmest welcome. He was so happy to see me. Little did he know I was cursing him with every profanity I could think of in my head. "You rat bastard, I sit at home, make you dinner, wait around for you to show, take care of your son, and wonder if you are dead or alive!" I handed Connor off to Pat and said I'm done. How about you watch your son for a while. It's pretty sad we have to come and see you in a bar. Hey Rude "Why don't you try to pick up the phone and call next time you won't be home. I don't have time to waste on someone who doesn't appreciate me and what I am doing." I do still have a life you know, but it seemed to stop when I hooked up with you.
Needless to say, this has never happened again. Pat saw the error of his ways. A little embarassment and humiliation in front of your buddies doesn't hurt either.