waiting room

Remember when the waiting room at the doctor's office had plastic magazine racks bolted to the wall and something to read for any kind of person? Now, the magazine rack has been replaced with a neat little sign alerting us that this is a "Wi-Fi Hot Spot!" The sound of pages flipping has been replaced with intermittant chimes from peoples' smart phones, letting them know their car insurance is due. (Wouldn't want to have to wait 'til I get home to know THAT!)

[DISTRACTING SIDE THOUGHT: in the future, I think babies will learn texting before they learn how to talk. Awww, Honey, Jimmy just sent his first text: "gaga. googoo. lol :-)" Isn't he so smart?]

In every public place, everywhere and every time people are sitting around waiting for something, it seems that more noses than not are buried in their phones. I don't know if this is a bad thing, a good thing, or just the same old thing people have always been doing, with a technological flare. Nobody knows what to do with themselves when they have to wait.

I am the chief of sinners.

I've never procrastinated. I'd love to claim this as a by-product of my superduper work ethic. But I think I just can't stand unfinished business. I'd be such a pissy ghost. I'm gonna be one of the busiest hospice patients anyone's ever seen.

I can tell, though, that life wants to strip me of that tendency. Lately, I have been so dogone tired that I have let things go to an appalling degree. I've looked at lists I've made of things to be done and just laughed. That won't be happening anytime soon. It goes against my own nature, but maybe my own nature is neurotic and unreasonable.

Between all the waiting I've done lately for things outside of my control, and just waiting for the energy and motivation within myself to do things, I should be a certified and centered monk. My mind should be a monastery. But I'm still a young man with a lot of nervous energy and intestinal turmoil.

This is clearly something that I won't be conquering today. In fact, I should probably wrap things up - my phone's telling me I've gotta pay my water bill.