The Pleasure of Waiting

The title of this one is vague, I know. But sometimes, you can’t have instant gratification. Sometimes, you need to read a short paragraph before knowing what a blog post is about, and that’s ok. This one is about patience.

You see, there are several television shows I watch that are back in season this summer, and that means that I have to wait a week in between each episode. Oh, the horror! But these days, with our attention spans shrinking to near nothing and the ease of having everything at our fingertips, it’s nice to be forced to wait every once in a while. It reminds us of how things once were.

Back in the olden days—excuse me, parents—there were very few channels available to most television watchers. New episodes aired when they aired, without the ability to record or pause. That meant that if you wanted to watch a TV show, you had to be in front of the television at exactly the right time. And it meant that each week, you had to be back in front of that television again to keep up with your show. Millions were sitting to watch the same thing at the same time, uniting Americans despite their distance.

But these days, binging is king. Even those who watch television shows in season wait until all episodes have aired to watch in one fell swoop. (It’s impressive how they avoid spoilers for months.) Our habits are poor. For many, even while a TV show is on, our phones are also in our hands as we scroll endlessly through Instagram or TikTok. We’re overwhelming ourselves with media and yet not really seeing any of it.

Waiting for a show to air each week gives us pause. It builds anticipation. It lets us take time to think about the previous episode, ruminate on the theories for what comes next, and connect with others who are waiting with bated breath for the next installment. It causes us to practice patience, which is in such short supply.

I love getting to sit down on a Sunday night and see something for the first time that so many others are also seeing for the first time. We are rewarded for our patience with a feeling of togetherness. And alongside patience, togetherness is something we are in dire need of in this country right now.

So practice patience this week. Whether that means waiting a whole seven days for another episode of television or not looking at your phone while you’re waiting on line for something. Be in the moment. Let your brain fill with the possibility of what comes next, not get distracted by something fleeting. Patience makes us kinder people, and kindness is key.

And that’s all I have to say about that.