Heather Stewart Poetry

There are some things that we learn when we are young and new to a place that is very important in the beginning but progressively less so. Things that don’t make sense when they happen to you, but make all the sense when they happen for you. Hurry up and wait.

Annoying as it can be in the beginning of one’s Naval career, there is a lot of being sure to be early and rushing around only to wait forever for your actual turn. There’s also a moment of realization.

An ebb and flow 
A wave and a crash 
A rythym all its own 
To balance control  
And surrender 

Simply
Hurry up
and Wait

It’s not immediately obvious, but this ebb and flow is a blessing. It allows time for so many things. Commiserate with peers who also in line. Study for a qualification together. Take a breather. Quiet and contemplation.

A lot of people use that time to stress about what they are waiting for, but I learned fairy quickly not to. Of course, I also had that kind of upbringing where I was brought along on many errands and had to learn to wait, to remember to bring a book, to not be disruptive but still be present. This is also in the time before cell phones so I didn’t have to get accustomed to the many spaces that they are not allowed when working for the military.

Later, when you have much more to do than time to get it done, and many more people waiting on you to do things, you learn why this happens and why it helps. It seems inefficient when you’re in line, but it is actually very efficient for those who are doing the things that you were waiting for. And people who are at the beginning of things are notoriously terrible at being at their appointed places at specific times, so it’s best to gather them all at once. Lots of waiting on their part in the beginning fo relatively no waiting later. It’s a balance. An ebb and flow.

A lot of learning happens in those inbetween places of waiting and doing in the beginning, if you let it, if you learn to use the time wisely. Never waste a waiting, but I suppose that’s another lesson.