Waiting In Line

As Seniors living in the city, we feel the days slipping by fast. One day it’s Tuesday and I am writing to you, and then it’s Tuesday again! What happened to those days in between? Time seems to fly by.

Which is why waiting in line is such an aggravation. It seems there are lines everywhere we need to go: the drug store, the blood clinic, the LCBO. Sometimes waiting in line can be worth it, especially when the end product is fun. In the winter those of us who are able, wait happily in line for the ski lift that will take us to the top of the hill, and the glorious run down to the chalet. In the summer we wait patiently with our grand kids for a ride on a roller coaster or an ice cream cone.

But there are lots of times when waiting in line is just a waste of our precious time. We line up to buy last-minute concert tickets and then get to the box office, only to be told that the concert is sold out. We are on a subway train which breaks down, so we line up for a shuttle bus and therefore miss an enjoyable lunch with friends. We get in line at the airport baggage carousel to pick up our suitcases after a long flight, and then…our luggage is not there!

I see these kinds of stressful line-ups at the food bank where I work. The unfortunate folks who have to visit are embarrassed at their need for this service. They come dressed in the warmest clothes they have, often missing hats or gloves and wearing shoes instead of boots. Then, because of lingering Covid germs, the line is spread out, leaving some outside shivering as they wait for their turn.

And I haven’t even begun to talk about waiting in line on the phone, twiddling our fingers as we hear over and over and over: “Your call is important to us. Someone will be with you soon.” HA!

The other day I decided to protest. I was second in line at the bank, where there was only one teller and he was dealing with a woman who had a file folder almost 3 cm’s thick. It must have been some major business transaction because she was slowly going through each page of this folder, one by one.

In line ahead of me was an elderly gentleman. We began to pass the time in conversation. He said he had been waiting almost 15 minutes already, but he didn’t mind because he was retired, lived alone, and enjoyed getting out and meeting people. Then he told me his age – 95. I was shocked. Why should a 95-year-old man have to stand up that long just to get some money that was probably already his?

I hurried over to a side wall and grabbed an empty chair. I hauled it, and then another one, into the line. I motioned for him to sit down and I took the chair behind him. When the next customer arrived, I advised him, in a loud voice, to get a chair too because the wait was really long.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a second teller appeared and unlocked her computer screen. She welcomed the elderly man with a smile. I felt somewhat vindicated.

Next time you have to go somewhere that has a line-up, maybe take along a folding chair and a book. Even as Seniors we can still make a statement.

Sue

Well maybe this is a slight exaggeration…