LEARNING TO WAIT
Or maybe that should be “waiting to learn”. Bear with me. Let’s take a quick look.
My friend David left his job recently. He’d been there 20 years, but things had changed, David being one of them. So time to move on. He’s not sure what he wants to do next. He has plenty of options. But which ones to take?
David is learning to wait.
And then there’s my friend Catherine.
Catherine put her house on the market a few months back. It’s taken a while. Buyers not quite sure if they have the funds available, sellers having second thoughts, and that constant “Are we doing the right thing?” ticking away in the mind.
Catherine has been learning to wait too.
And then there’s me.
My mum died recently. She was 100 years old, so not entirely unexpected. But still, between her going into hospital and dying peacefully five weeks later, we had to live with a significant time of “not knowing”.
I had to learn to wait.
There’s a name for these times. It’s called “liminal space”. That period in between one state and another, where ambiguity reigns, and although we know things won’t go back the way they were, we don’t yet know how the future will play out.
So learning to wait then, yes.
But maybe also waiting to learn.
Maybe the “not knowing”, the ambiguity and the disorientation can teach us something. If we’re prepared to give them that chance.
I’ve learned a lot whilst waiting over the last few weeks.
I know Catherine has too. I am confident David will.
In my case, I’ve learned things about family, about community, about grief, about the professionalism of healthcare workers. Things I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
Knowing when we’re in such a space, and just have to sit with it, seems to be really important. Giving up our need for control, or for resolution NOW.
But maybe, if we’re to learn from being in these spaces, we may need to be more intentional about it. Opportunities like this don’t come along often, so there’s a need to recognise the moment and the growth that it offers, before the opportunity is lost.
If this is where you find yourself right now, may you have the wisdom to know it, the patience to live with it, the clarity to learn from it, and the opportunity to move on when the time is right.
“Don’t Look Back” tells the career transition stories of nine men and women, who’s journeys just might provide inspiration for yours. Proceeds are for The Boaz Trust, working to end destitution amongst asylum seekers and refugees. Talk about a liminal space…!
If you enjoyed reading that, and would quite like to receive one every month or two, there’s a box below where you can sign up.
We will never send you anything except the stories. And if you’re interested in reading a bit wider, maybe there’s something here for you - www.martinhowden.com/books. In any event, thanks for reading.