I was reminded of a very important life lesson while waiting in the service area of a car dealership. I couldn’t help but notice a young man who was pacing the floor, complaining and fussing about having to wait over 30 minutes for his car. He seemed to be getting himself all worked up. He had a book but refused to sit down and read it. Everyone else was sitting, reading, watching televison, working on their computer and basically chilling out.

No one likes waiting. I know I am not fond of it. In fact, being impatient is something I know how to do quite well. But I wonder what all this accumulative impatience does for us on a daily basis, weekly basis or in a year’s time? How much do we pay for health-wise for anxiety and mood changes even on a physiological basis? Doctors now even say that 70% of all chronic illness is caused by stress. Wow!

As with everything in life, we always have choices about what we will do with our time, even those inconvenient waits or delays in traffic, in a long line or at a car dealership. How much time do we waste getting upset, anxious or even worried over such insignificant things in life? What can we do about it anyway and what will this one delay or inconvenience mean six months from now or even tomorrow?

So, since there is so much we can’t change in life, why not use the delay or inconvenience to do something productive or even relax? Maybe we could use the time to meditate or take a mental vacation to our favorite place, watch a television show we wouldn’t normally watch, write a letter that we have been meaning to write, make a to-do list, have a conversation with a friend and catch up. The possibilities are endless.

One thing is for sure, tomorrow, this event of waiting for this young man will be long gone. Was it worth getting a headache over or an ulcer today? I think not!