The Lost Art of Waiting

Waiting can feel like the part of life you’re supposed to power through. You check the clock, refresh the inbox, replay the conversation, and secretly believe real living starts after the answer arrives. Today we slow that whole reflex down and try something gentler: treating waiting as a place you can actually inhabit, not an inconvenience you have to escape. 

Transcript

Welcome And The Theme Of Waiting

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Hello, and welcome to Breathe and Be. I'm Miri Ann, and I'm so glad you're here. There are some things we don't lose all at once. They fade quietly as life becomes busier and louder. In this series, we're gently rediscovering those forgotten parts of being human. Not because they're gone, but because they've been patiently waiting for our attention. Today we're exploring something that most of us spend our lives trying to avoid. Waiting. We wait for answers, for healing, for test results, for the phone to ring, for someone to text back, for the weekend, for the next chapter, for retirement. Some waiting last minutes, some last years. And somewhere along the way, many of us begin believing that waiting is empty space, that life hasn't truly begun until whatever we're hoping for finally arrives. But perhaps waiting isn't the pause between life. Perhaps waiting is part of life itself. Today let's spend a little time there, not rushing through it, simply noticing what waiting feels like when we stop resisting it.

Grounding In Breath And Stillness

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Go ahead and take a slow breath in and let it leave your body gently. Again, breathing in and breathing out. Notice the support beneath you. Feel the rise and fall of your breathing.

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There is nothing to accomplish here.

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Nothing to hurry. For the next few minutes, there is only this breath.

Oak Tree Visual And Slow Growth

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Imagine yourself sitting beneath a large oak tree at the center of an open meadow. The afternoon sun is warm, but not hot.

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A gentle breeze moves through the branches overhead. You notice the tree. It isn't trying to grow faster. It doesn't strain toward tomorrow. It simply continues becoming itself one season at a time. Small, ordinary.

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But inside that acorn is the possibility of another great tree. Not today, not tomorrow.

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Growth asks something different of us. Time. The acorn cannot force itself to become an oak. The seasons cannot be rushed. Neither can we. Take another slow breath. As

Bringing Your Unfinished Thing Close

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you breathe in, think of something in your own life that feels unfinished. Perhaps you're waiting for clarity, healing, forgiveness, a decision to be made.

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Or maybe you're simply waiting to feel more like yourself again.

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You don't have to solve it here. Just let it set beside you. Like the little acorn resting quietly in the grass. Notice how often your mind wants to jump ahead.

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What if? When? How much longer?

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Each question gently pulls you away from this moment. Instead, return to your breathing. The breath knows nothing about tomorrow. It only knows this inhale and this exhale. The breeze moves through the meadow again. Tall grasses bow together like waves. Nothing in nature seems impatient. Clouds drift. Birds rest before taking flight again. Wild flowers bloom when conditions are right. Not a day sooner. The earth itself teaches us that becoming takes time.

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You notice a small butterfly land on the acorn. It stays only a moment before lifting into the air again.

Life Still Happens While You Wait

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Even this tiny visit reminds you, life is still happening when you wait. Beauty continues arriving. Conversations still happen. Morning coffee still tastes warm. Laughter still surprises you. The sky still changes colors every evening.

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Waiting doesn't stop life. Sometimes it helps us notice it.

Holding Waiting With Kindness

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Take another slow breath.

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Imagine your waiting, becoming a small stone in your hands.

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Notice its weight, its shape. You don't have to throw it away. You don't have to carry it tightly. Simply hold it with kindness. Without judgment. Some things cannot be hurried. Some questions cannot yet be answered. That doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's simply part of being human.

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Now imagine placing that stone gently beside the roots of the oak tree. Not abandoning it. Just allowing the earth to help you carry its weight for a little while.

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Feel your shoulders soften, your jaw relax.

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Notice that even without answers, you are breathing.

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Your heart continues beating. Life continues unfolding.

Mantra And Returning To The Room

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Take one final deep breath. As you exhale, repeat quietly to yourself. I can trust what I cannot rush. Again, I can trust what I cannot rush. One more time. I can trust what I cannot rush. Allow those words to settle gently inside you. You can begin to bring your awareness back into the room.

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Notice the sounds around you.

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Feel the surface supporting your body. Perhaps roll your shoulders gently. Stretch your hands, point your toes. And when you're ready, open your eyes.

A Question And A Practice For Week

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Before moving on with your day, ask yourself one simple question. What if nothing is wrong with waiting? Just let that question stay with you. You don't need to answer today. Thank you for spending these moments with me.

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If today's meditation stayed with you, I invite you to practice one small act of waiting this week. The next time you're standing in line, waiting for the kettle to boil or sitting in your car before heading inside. Instead, take three slow breaths. Look around. Notice the colors, the sounds, the feeling of your feet on the ground. Let those ordinary moments remind you that waiting isn't empty. It is just another part of living.

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Until next time, breathe, be, and take good care.