How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives – Annie Dillard.

Waiting for a different future . Waiting in line, waiting for the bus, waiting for the morning coffee to come, waiting in the traffic, waiting for an important call, waiting to get an exam, waiting for its result.

In this social media age we do not want to wait , we want to get these things done here and now.

As Goins emphasizes, life happens right in between, right in between what we have just started and not finished yet.

Every waiting moment, provides an opportunity to slow down and listen to the voices we sometimes miss as we are on the go.

Often our social media can tell our lives better than our personal experiences. Instead of enjoying our morning “i macchiato”, we sipp it fast without taking time to let its flavor sink in. Instead of enjoying our city, we have hurried to catch our bus. Instead of quietly enjoying the peaceful view of the sunset, we hurry to capture it in a picture, put it on internet with the corresponding description.

The irony is that in our anxiety toward not missing out, we are missing the most meaningful moments of life.

Waiting to get a degree, waiting to find a life companion, waiting for the firstborn, waiting for that first promotion is not a time wasted. Jeff puts it wonderfully into words: All our waiting moments shouldn’t be considered a hindrance: waiting is the journey itself.

My friend, slow down, think about those moments that slipped through your fingers. Just stop and enjoy those in between moments, the moments of waiting. Yes, there is life even there.

“And as we embrace the wait , we learn to appreciate the delays and postponements that teach us some things in life are worth waiting for.”. Jeff Goins

reflection from reading Jeff Goins book “The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing”

August 17, 2013