Does anybody else hate to wait? When Jan finally persuaded me that we could raise chickens, I plunged right in building the best henhouse I knew how. I gave it more size, comfort, and options than any chicken needs. The way I figured, happy chickens would mean more eggs. Jan said we could expect to see eggs in about 16 weeks. I was confident that my extra effort would have our hens cranking them out in 12-14 weeks, tops. But as we approached 19 weeks, the only egg we experienced was a big goose egg. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. I cleaned the coop, adjusted their lighting, added fresh straw to their nesting boxes, changed their feed, and let them free range longer each day. Still no results. A couple of times I found myself loitering at the chicken coop, as if staring at them could intimidate them into laying. "A watched pot never boils" ran through my head. I was half tempted to stick them in a boiling pot. Today, on day one of their 19th week, we got our breakthrough! It's only one egg, but hopefully it's a start of grander, more glorious omelets to come. Have you been waiting for results? To sign the deal? Strike oil? Pass the exam? Conceive? Go into labor? Receive the check? Get the lab results? Get a proposal? Get some answers? Waiting is HARD, isn't it? I'm in the process of learning how to wait for more things than eggs. As a writer who submits manuscripts for my livelihood, it sometimes feels like waiting is at the top of my job description list. I. DON'T. LIKE. IT. Wait for a reply from the agent...wait for a reply from the editor...wait for the decision of the committee...wait for the contract...wait for the check...AAAUGHH!!! As weeks turn into months, I can find myself stressing, pressing, and obsessing. But there are other options. Here are 4 things I'm learning to practice while I W.A.I.T.
What are you waiting for that seems to be taking too long? Do you have any "waiting" insights, encouragements, or experiences that might help someone else? I would love to hear them! |
I'm Gary Bower...
...a father of twelve kids, seven of them married with kids. That leaves five still at home. My business partner and best friend, Jan Bower, is an amazing artist who also happens to be my wife of 43 years. For many of those years we made children together; now we just make children's books. Last I counted we have twenty-five books and thirty grandchildren. Archives
April 2019
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