Waiting
The joy you can derive from knowing how to prolong it
August 1st 2015
Do you know how to wait – yes, wait in such a way that you derive some benefit from the few moments immediately preceding a happy event? You are waiting for a letter, for example, from a relative or friend. At last it arrives – you are overjoyed! But as you are impatient, you race to open it, and now your joy has gone. Because what does it contain? Often, nothing extraordinary. But the waiting was extraordinary. Yes, if you wait for a bit, imagining what might be in the letter, you savour unique moments that you can prolong for as long as you want. But no, people are weak, they get tempted, they don’t know how to resist, and they destroy their joy.
The letter here is only one example among many to help you understand that you have the power to keep the joy you feel alive. Suppose you have a project that is dear to you: while you are working to bring it to fruition, you can again enjoy the anticipation you experience in your mind, your heart and your soul. Once plans do come to fruition, we are often disappointed, because we were expecting much more from them.