Waiting: The Silent Struggle

Life on Hold: Finding Meaning in the Wait

It is Monday morning, a fresh week to start. I was waiting at the bus stop for my ride to college, looking forward to the day ahead. Minutes turned into half an hour before the bus finally arrived—delayed due to a technical issue. I sighed but reminded myself that some things are simply out of our control. Once I reached college and entered the classroom, expecting to dive straight into my lecture, I found the seats empty. Another wait began. Ten minutes later, the students arrived, and we finally started the session.

Waiting is an inevitable part of life. We wait in traffic, in checkout lines, for appointments, for a message to be replied to, or for food to be served at a restaurant. Some people wait with calm acceptance, while others grow restless, checking their phones every few seconds or sighing audibly. Observing people in these moments offers a fascinating glimpse into human behavior.

In a grocery store queue, there’s always that one person who switches lines, convinced the other will move faster—only to regret the decision moments later. In traffic, you’ll find drivers honking aggressively as if their impatience will magically clear the road ahead. 

Meanwhile, some people take waiting as an opportunity to reflect, to observe, or even to connect. I once saw a child in a queue at a bakery chatting away with a stranger, turning an otherwise dull moment into a delightful one.

That morning, as I stood at the bus stop and later in an empty classroom, I thought about how waiting teaches us patience, whether we like it or not. It reveals how much control we think we have over time and how we react when that control is taken away. The next time you find yourself in a long queue or stuck in traffic, observe your own emotions. Are you restless? Frustrated? Or are you using the time to breathe, to notice the world around you, maybe even to strike up a conversation?

The way we wait says a lot about us. Perhaps, in these moments of forced stillness, we have the chance to truly be present.