The Wait Around Game

Seems like we spend most of life waiting, waiting in line, waiting at traffic lights, waiting for a phone call, email, text, for something to cook, for a relationship to either start up or come to a close, new episodes to our favorite shows, tests results, even upgrades to a treasured electronic device. Most of us depending on what is we are waiting for handle the wait much like a child in the back seat on the way to Disney World. For the majority of us we want what we want immediately because we are in such a rush to either go somewhere, get something or find out a results to something we deem important.

    I bring this up because I recently attended a local fair with a group of people I didn’t know through a social club I joined. The people I met were very nice, the fair however, well the fair had some issues. Like most fairs there were local vendors selling their arts and crafts even some big name companies selling their product and services along with food and beverage vendors. I didn’t know this particular event was an outside fair for some reason I thought was an inside thing. I waited at the location where I was supposed to for a person I had no idea looked like then I finally called and eventually met up with all who were attending.

   Not being a social butterfly to begin with something inside would have been a task to handle but going to an outside fair with people you don’t know is nerve racking, well for me. I was perplexed as to how you can chat and had fun while trying to check out the stuff at the fair. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, it’s hard enough for me to go to fairs sometimes with people I do know.

   The theme of the fair was Bacon and Bourbon so 90% of the food had one or both combined into normal fair foods and the star of the show at the beverage center was of course Bourbon, straight up or mixed. We got into the fair around 3pm, (the fair actually opened at 11 am), and the food lines that was our first official stop. There was a lot of interesting bacon and bourbon food options and I was starving but the lines were really long and we thought that you had to stand in line in front of that particular food, found out hours later that you could order anything anywhere. A couple of members got something to eat but because I thought you had to order the certain food where they ordered the rest of us just wanted to get a drink and find a table with chairs so we could relax and chat, that didn’t exactly happen.

    The drink tent with the bourbon had four lines that wrapped around. It reminded me of lines at Universal at Disney. I would say the majority of people at this fair were either standing in line for food or standing in line for drinks. I didn’t see many people crowding the vendors selling their wares. With the exception of two we all stood in line for close to two hours for a drink that was overpriced and over iced. By the time I got my drink my legs and back was aching for standing so long not mention I was hungry and thirsty and not feeling at all social because I just wanted to sit down. The two that waited 45 minutes in the food line came back with reports that they had run out of the main pulls, the bacon bar was completely out, the shrimp wrapped in bacon that cost 14 dollars only gave 3 shrimp and word was getting around that the parking garage was full and so was the park and people were only let in as people left. I was wiped out even though I didn’t do anything.

   It was a gorgeous day out, most days in south Florida are but we got a much appreciated drop in temp which was in the low 70’s with a breeze so at least standing in the sun wasn’t brutal. My gripe wasn’t with the people I met or with the social club, it is with poor organized layout of the fair. I am soured about attending any kind of fair in this part of town again and I laugh now because had I been with people I knew or by myself I would have never waited in line for stupid drink.

   As far as not getting uptight over waiting well, I spent a good portion of my past week doing that on waiting for a response back from people I rely on and a decision that was supposed to have been made by the close of the week concerning a position. In response with someone I had spoken with mid week I was handed the old stop worrying it will happen when it happens and good things comes to those that wait. I agree on the first half, it going to happen when it happens. Watching an egg boil doesn’t make it boil faster. As far as good things comes to those that wait, well I don’t know: not always but I understand the meaning. I tried to control both situations I had on the front burners and it took a toll on me emotionally so I really do have to double dip myself in believing that if it’s meant to be it will happen when it happens.