Waiting around is work

Just Passing Through

“They also serve who only stand and wait.”

Recently while waiting for my friend who was having a complicated shoulder surgery, this quote came to mind. But I wondered, was waiting enough to be “worthy?” Although I knew the highly competent surgeon was certainly earning his money, standing over an operating table for three hours wielding his Black and Decker drills and Craftsman rubber mallet, I still wondered if my effort in the waiting room worthy of credit. Maybe.

Of course my friend should also get credit for the two germ-eradicating showers — one before bed and one after, the torture of getting up in the middle of the night without water or coffee, and the effort to lie flat of his back in a drug induced coma — free of pain and worry about the loved ones who sat on hard chairs, drank bitter coffee and tried to figure out the hospital WiFi password without any credit for time served. Being the waiter isn’t easy.

It really made me think about all those jobs that look easy. The jobs we long for. The jobs for which those who do physical labor would give their sweat-stained t-shirts, the “easy” jobs we have never tried. Is it easy just standing around, waiting?

I watched some Secret Service officers taking care of some politicos the other day on television. They stood there for quite some time staring at the crowd hoping nothing happened. To me, it looked like they were bored: another day at the golf course without any golf clubs — just a wrist microphone and a gun. But let something bad happen and those people would be “on” in a millisecond. The job probably isn’t so easy. I don’t want that job. I would hate to run after limousines, carry overstuffed politicians to safety and try to pick-out which normal-looking person in the crowd is really a bad guy. Yep, not as easy as it looks, waiting.

Crossing guards, greeters at Walmart, emergency room nurses, school teachers, all these jobs require people to be “ready to help,” and yet appear to have down time that is criticized by people who see them “waiting.” They aren’t resting, they are just ready and waiting to help.

The firemen who are lifting weights, making chili for their crew or polishing up the truck are not wasting time. The job looks easy, looks fun, but you let that fire be at your house and you will be glad they are strong, they are well fed and that truck runs like a top to get there quickly. I couldn’t do that job either.

So, as I sat there the other day waiting for the surgeon to finish, my friend to wake up, and my phone to charge so I could call the family and let them know he was alright, I wondered if my waiting deserved any credit. I wasn’t protecting someone from bodily harm or terrorist or keeping an eye out for natural disasters. Nope. I was just waiting.

Then I realized if it were me on that table, I would appreciate a “waiter” who was there while I slept, who prayed for healing, and who cared. Yes, waiting is also worthy of credit.