We set off on a road trip this morning from Hightstown, NJ, to Williamsburg, Virginia. Google confidently told us it would take 5 hours and 20 minutes. It sounded like a perfect length for a lovely drive.
Nine hours later, we arrived.
The day brought us many unexpected delays. The GPS lady randomly states stopped traffic ahead. We got very used to the saying that slow traffic on your route, and each time we just figured this is how it goes sometimes.
As these delays kept occurring, I thought back to the days I was doing adoption social work. Delays were common in the process, and often no explanation was given other than unexpected delays.
I remember three years ago when my Dad was awaiting biopsy results. It was a slow process, and someone said, sometimes there are unexpected delays.
I wonder how you engage unexpected delays in times of waiting? Traffic, although frustrating, did not change anything other than our arrival time. Further unexpected delays are more costly in different ways.
I hope that if you are facing unexpected delays, you can cling to hope amid the waiting. Find people to wait with you. Reflect on your waiting, be honest about the frustration, and trust that your waiting will come to an end in time.