Just wait. Don’t do that now. Wait.
How often in our “quick fix” society do we let an idea, a disagreement, a judgment, or a dream … rest or mellow before we dismiss it, sweep it up, or file it away? Do we ever just wait.
I was thinking about this the other night when we spilled rice at the dinner table.
Rice is starchy and soft and a tasty “filler,” popular with most age groups, that keeps well in the pantry and is simple to prepare. (Set it and forget it, is my favorite style of cooking.)
Once you tally the brown vs. white votes and get the cooker started, rice is a nice compliment to a multitude of main dishes. But once it’s spilled, it’s a sticky mess.
If you try wiping it up across the table like you would bread crumbs, you are in for a mess (or a trip down memory lane to the gooey white paste Mrs. Greenland gave us in elementary school art class.)
Rice is easier to clean up if you let it dry.
Leave it. Just wait.
Finish your meal. Listen to one another recount what happened that day. Laugh at the silly situations. Really hear what your kids have to say. And clear the plates for washing as the rice dries.
Leaving the mess runs counter to most of our instincts. If something spills, you clean it up. When someone wrongs you, you point it out. If an idiot driver cuts you off, you “tell” them from behind the wheel.
But immediate action isn’t always the best course of action. Sometimes you need to let it be. To just wait.
What areas of your life or your business need to be left alone to “dry” for a period of time in hopes of a more successful “clean up”? What dream do you keep trying to sweep up immediately … with poor results?
Sometimes it’s best to just wait. And see.
Would you agree? I’m waiting…