Standing in Line
It is nothing new to say that we are busy. The electronic gadgets that were supposed to give us time, has in truth taken time away from us. Not only has it helped us develop neck problems and stooped shoulders, it has also moved us away from interacting with each other.
The other day I was waiting in Lane #1 for a flight to Denver. Now Lane #1 used to be a good lane, but Lane # 1 is actually lane number #5. Lane #1 allows one to board after the Global People, the 1K people, Women and children, physically challenged, military in Uniform (don’t see too many of those) and on and on. What I noticed was how willing people were to stand in lanes 1 thru 5. No one is sitting in the chairs; they are all standing in line. Listening to some United employee blather on and on about all of these rules and regulations we must adhere to, in order to get on the plane and sit in the tiny seat that we paid for. I am fascinated by the sea of people with their suitcases of valuable belongings, their children and all of their equipment. I am fascinated they are all willingly standing in line.
A few minutes before I was walking to my gate and passed a Starbucks or was it Peet’s, regardless there was another group of people willing to wait in line for 30 minutes or more to buy a cup of burned coffee or another such coffee drink.
That morning I drove to the airport going east on the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge. I was going in the opposite direction of all the people who were traveling west to work in Marin County or San Francisco. On most mornings the line that these people were willing to wait extends all the way to Harbor which, for those unfamiliar, is between 3 to 4 miles. This is not an unusual occurrence; this happens every morning and these people are willing to stand in this line for hours.
For all of our interest in time – how much of it – what is left of it – better use of it – wasting it -- we put waiting in line in a different category. What is it about we humans that we are willing to stand in lines? What is it about this activity that we are so willing to accept? We're literally standing heads down, looking at our phones, mindlessly for hours. We got up early to stand in the security line. Then stand in the line at Starbucks for a drink that will take us 30 minutes to obtain and 5 minutes to consume. That seems to be the wrong proportion. We're OK with just standing. I am standing in this line and decided that this was a worthwhile subject to write about. I don't have a solution. It's amazing that in a world that is so busy and moves so quickly, standing in line is OK. Maybe that's just the point. Standing in line gives us the excuse to actually take a time out. Last week I wrote about stopping at a red light one evening in my car. While sitting there I became aware at how relaxed I was for the duration of the red light. The red light had given me the permission to stop. Perhaps our obsession with accomplishing has made us starved for moments of relaxation. It is those moments that we are given permission to stop. Perhaps standing in line is like the red light --- a moment to stop and relax. A moment not demanding that something be done, accomplished or problem solved. However, It would be a lot more fun to be stopping on the beach rather than waiting in line.
Group 9 you may board……