TO WRITE: Waiting and waiting. . . and waiting

I just spent a good five minutes on hold with a national company I do business with before hanging up in disgust. (I know, I know, you've spent 15, 20, 30 minutes in such situations. Still, I say anything over 10 seconds starts to get miserable.) And why don't they just play some dignified classical music instead of old Neil Diamond hits of the '70s?

Waiting can be tough, whether its for customer service or for something much more serious -- getting a call about an adoptive child (We're still waiting!) or a hint of relief from severe, chronic depression symptoms.

Play with this. . .
A writer friend of mine recently challenged her students to write on the question: What are you waiting for? Take 20 minutes to answer that one, writing continuously without stopping to edit yourself a lot.

Are you waiting for the confidence to register for that class you've been wanting to take? Is it the nerve to ask him or her out to dinner? Is it the energy to pick up your pen and write? Are you waiting for that last 20 pounds to disappear? After you've written, take five minutes more to consider what you might be able to do to either make the waiting end sooner or to better get through it. In my experience, my mental health depends upon this.