"I feel like I'm just constantly waiting, hoping things will improve"
Ugh, the eternal when will this change/end/shift feeling
Wait, But What? is our weekly advice column for paid supporters. If you’ve got a burning life question (whether it’s how to phoenix out of a dark spot, or how to stand up to a boss who thinks you're just in the room to grab a flat white) drop your question here and we might just answer it!
"Bel, honestly — what can I do with this feeling? I seem to spend my life waiting. Waiting for things to get better, get easier, be more enjoyable. Waiting to be more carefree, more fun, more attractive. Waiting for the right person, right place, right time. (Whatever "right" even means). How do I just sit and enjoy the now, rather than always looking ahead, hoping things will improve?"
Dear Fig Tree Metaphor,
Welcome. Welcome to being alive and trying to work out what it is we’re meant to do with this one, wild, precious and boring life.
I’m not sure how old you are, what you do, or where you live. But whatever those details are — you are not alone in your angst.
In every bar, I go to. In every conversation with every stranger I ever meet, In every patch of foreign language I can understand between two people hooning a dart outside the awning of a bar at night, I hear everyone with one of these existentialisms turning them over.
Comforting, but annoying. Although this feeling of waiting is a good sign. It says you’re looking for… more.