Archive for February, 2010

Literary Mileage
Wait Training

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

I am not good at waiting. This has become painfully clear to me during a two-month escape-from-winter stay in south Florida. My sister and I have rented a funky apartment directly across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. wait_training_IMG_2474 The only drawback to our 2-bedroom paradise is that it has no internet access. Since I am working while we’re here, I have to hustle up wifi access wherever I can. Usually at the Delray Beach Public Library, a marvelous resource with free wifi throughout. Sometimes I go to Panera Bread Co., which also has free wifi and latte access. I have also recently discovered the Atlantique Café which has free wifi and weighty distractions like eggs, bacon, grits, hash browns. There’s a Starbuck’s within walking distance, but I refuse to pay their wifi poll tax.

So, despite the stunning view and beach ambiance, I can’t just pop online to stay in touch with friends, set up a blog post, google something for a work project, or be in contact with clients like I can at home. I have to wait until the library opens or until I can borrow my sister’s car to get there. I can walk but that’s at least a 20-minute haul with my laptop, meaning about a 45-minute travel investment, at least once a day. And it means getting out of my gritty beach garb, combing my hair and other time-consumers.

So, each day I am in training learning how to wait until I can be in technological touch with the upper 48. Some of the best ‘wait’ trainers in my Florida environment are surfers. It is hypnotic watching them paddle out beyond the breakers on their surfboards and then wait…and wait….and wait for the perfect wave to ride into the shore. They spend far more time waiting than surfing. They are models of delayed gratification. wait_training2_IMG_2574

I wonder if they get bored, restless, or anxious waiting for the perfect ride. I get annoyed waiting, probably driven by anxiety about what I know I’ll face when I can finally fire up my computer and see all that email dropping in to be dealt with.

I’m waiting for the coffee to perk right now. But that isn’t so agonizing. It is time limited, doesn’t involve making transportation decisions, and the aroma helps me savor the wait.

At least waiting until I reach a connection with the rest of the world is more fun than waiting for all that snow to melt in Washington.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

 

« Older Entries |

Copyright © 2010 Judy Leaver. All rights reserved. Design by Adam Sweeney Creative.