The Waiting Place

One of my favourite poems is Dr Seuss's "Oh! The Places You'll Go". It is a children's poem, and somewhat comical, but it reads like a life warning from a parent to a child about the vagaries of life, and more importantly,  the need to press on, believe in and pursue your fulfillment.

My favourite part of that poem is The Waiting Place. It is not  a particularly pleasant part of the poem, but it challenges several things, both positively and negatively. On the one hand it challenges us to avoid procrastination and seize our destinies and/or our futures. On the other hand, for me personally, it challenges the validity of hope. But you be the judge:

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!


There are times you can do nothing but wait- if you have never been in that situation you are so lucky- however if you have, you know your waiting place is where your fundamental beliefs have been challenged, your strength is depleted, your (religious) faith is questioned. A lot of people who can rouse themselves out of this place usually no longer believe in the existence of God, because they have had to be their own God. And people who cannot, wait around for a word from Him. It's a terrible place to be, but funny enough a large percentage of people stuck in a rut, in a bad marriage, a job they hate, a situation they can't leave, are in this waiting place. Hoping something external would change their life's course, and sinking farther into unhappiness.

What are you waiting for? 


Chili! 

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