by James T. Murphy
Whenever one knows the day ahead will require enlisting oneself on the roster of those waiting for one thing or another, there are two fundamental choices to the inevitable delays built into the process itself, a sort of Dude like resignation, abiding the time spent passing time, or a heightened sense of annoyance, even animosity toward a system that craves your patience, in the face of all the important things awaiting your attention.
The supermarket is a great example. There are those we see behind their personal supply wagon with an air of dispatch, seemingly hurrying toward the impending line awaiting them when the foraging is done, a line which now seems all the more interminable due to the social distancing involved, and one which seems always to contain the customer who for some reason(s) cannot make his/her way through the checkout without a dalliance, a procrastination which seems almost in disregard of the next victim, usually you. In any event, Expeditious Guy will also fall prey to this one who appears to construe this weekly exercise as the opportunity to express views on everything from the uninteresting to the mundane, all to the one whose task it is to keep the line moving, and all while your ice cream is melting, mostly from the heat emanating from your brow. Usually however civility prevails and the storm of irksomeness passes, to your turn.
On the other hand, while roaming the aisles we sometimes encounter the patron who seems to be in no hurry whatsoever, that version of the species who is perfectly content in the activity of the moment. After the envy has subsided, one notices a certain quiet, a detachment from the sounds of gathering the weekly provisions, for the best price available of course. When this dude allows you to pass ahead of him to the shelve you have arrived at together, or even, almost unbelievably, beckons you to jump ahead of him on the line, the euphoria of the moment is ended only upon the realization that you are now one step closer to the event requiring that quality so ably displayed by this steward of kindness and consideration to others, patience, which after all is not only a virtue but also an ideal, one which in the long run not only lessens the stress of the tedium, but also gives one a chance to rebound from the desire to give that time adulterer ahead of you a piece of your mind, a piece one may not ultimately have to spare.
When surrendering to the meantime therefore, it is important to come prepared. The cell phone is of course among the most ubiquitous manner of departing from the realities of life, but just be mindful that social distancing may not drown out all the ramblings, and without a social muffler you are inviting fellow line sufferers into an exchange they can handily do without, and thus unintentionally raising the angst of the already laborious contest between amity and dissension. Other helpful efforts include the crossword puzzle, playing with that child who twenty minutes prior threw a tantrum sufficient to ruin the serenity of the occasion on Aisle 5, or, should your surroundings permit, the age old pastime meant to demonstrate, at least to yourself, your advanced standing in all this, people watching. The examination of the movements and behaviors of those around us can provide a respite of enjoyable surveillance, but, in addition to the hint of possible voyeurism, it is debilitating in that it distracts from the zen of the moment. The objective is to be more Dude, and less rude.
So, at the end of it all, it may seem that our lives, and living passes from one line to another, lines in the aforementioned grocery store, lines in retaurants, you remember them, lines at the COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, the pharmacy, the deli, the doctor’ office and more. We are then, in this respect, happy for amazon.com for so many other of life’s necessities, and those not so necessity. And in our future, as future as possible, when we come to the last line, if a pronounced and inescapable heat pervades our pores, we would be most grateful for as many delayers ahead of us as possible, and would even then display grace and aplomb, and let the entire crowd pass ahead of us. If however, visions are accented and even permeated by with pearly hues and celestial beauty, then this last line is the best of all.