Let's Talk About...Waiting

Ok. Why is it when you have a doctor's appointment, you are asked to come 15 minutes early to "check in and fill out forms?" I try to do that ahead of time from home, but I arrive early anyway because they asked me to.

You arrive early, they check you in again, and then you wait. I have clocked over a 45-minute wait before hearing my name called. You are then escorted to an exam room where the nurse or assistant asks a few questions (most of which you already answered on their forms), types on the computer and then leaves. Of course, then you must wait another 15 minutes before the doctor arrives.

Rarely is there an acknowledgement that you have been there for an hour past your appointment time. All the while, your blood pressure rises.

"Your blood pressure seems a little elevated, Ms. Marylander."

No kidding.

Doctors' appointments should be just one of several items on your schedule. They shouldn't take up the whole day.

I understand doctors are overworked and double booked. But isn't my time as valuable as theirs?

I don't charge a late fee or cancellation fee if they make me wait but if I am late to the appointment they have no problem charging me.

What is up with that?

Does this happen anywhere else?

For example, when you take your car to be serviced, they take your keys right away, put you in a shuttle, and you are on your way.

Usually, if you have a restaurant reservation, they seat you within five minutes of your reservation time. If they can't because that party of five is lingering over their crème brulee, the host will often make you comfortable at the bar while you wait. Really good restaurants will buy you that drink while you wait.

On the other hand, what about when you make an appointment for a plumber, electrician, or cable guy to come to your home? They give you a two or three-hour "window" of time when they might appear.

I understand the job they had before mine might go longer than expected, but three or more hours is a big window of time to wait.

And wait you do.

I find myself glancing out the window every few minutes while my dog begins to get nervous that something is happening out of the ordinary. She goes on high alert with me. For two or three hours. Then what? You bide your time, still on high alert, for another hour or two or three for them to fix what is broken.

Like a doctor's appointment, a home service appointment is a full day affair. We can't just take a day off of work.

My mom used to say, "To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late and to be late means you are out of luck."

I guess Mom wasn't thinking about the other side of that coin. To be early means you wait, to be on time means you wait, and to be late means you pay a fee.

And so, it goes. As Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part." So, make it easy on yourself. Grab a book, relax, and try to enjoy the wait.