I’m like Tom Petty because I find “the waiting is the hardest part”. I have realized recently that I’m impatient and waiting for anything causes me physical pain. I think that this is a new development in my personality and it may have been brought on by big city living. Everyone is always rushing to make their deadlines, running to catch the train or hitting the crosswalk button repeatedly, blindly hoping that it will help the situation (it’s a crosswalk button people, not the fire button in Doom).

I have always been a fan of the microwave but lately I have been wondering why I can’t get a macrowave. Given the current state of technology, I find it hard to believe that I can’t safely heat a bowl of soup in 4.11 seconds. Waiting for soup is tolerable because I can see the countdown start at 2min 22sec (the maximum allotted time for reheating).

Waiting for the train isn’t too bad either because I know what time it should arrive so instead of sitting and calmly waiting for it to arrive, I simply alter my own speed. For example, if the train is to arrive in 9 minutes I casually stroll out of the office perhaps even making benign comments such as “It’s a bit chilly today isn’t it?” (that’s a favourite because I never find it chilly). On the other hand, if the train arrives in 3 minutes I bolt out of the office with my tie blowing horizontally in the wind while having to negotiate at least one “Dukes of Hazard” slide across the hood of a taxi. I’m indifferent as to whether I have to stroll or sprint, the goal is to step onto the platform as the train is arriving.

Waiting for something that may or may not happen would likely cause death by insanity. During job hunting season, I was waiting for callbacks after interviews….I was borderline death for 6 weeks. It’s a good thing that I’m not Jewish because waiting for the messiah would surely kill me.