Today’s blog is all about waiting.
All the times we wait.
And what we do in the waiting, in the liminal space.
Liminal means the transitional space between who you once were and who you are becoming. It’s standing on the threshold of significant change.
We wait every day of our lives.
Waiting in a queue to purchase something.
Waiting for a baby to arrive, or to know if we are pregnant.
Waiting for a child to get better when they’re sick.
Waiting for our child to outgrow some behaviour or nappies.
Waiting for something to be different to what it is.
All of life is waiting.
From a practical point of view, when I know I’ll be waiting somewhere for long stretches, like at Home Affairs to get a new passport or ID, I always take a book to read, and my knitting to keep my hands busy.
At a birth, when I’m waiting for a baby to be born, I take my knitting. This practice comes from the old days when women birthed in hospitals and grannies would sit in the corner and knit. It wasn’t just about keeping their hands busy. It gave the birthing woman comfort. She knew she wasn’t alone. If the granny was still knitting, it meant everything was okay, labour was progressing, her baby was fine. If the granny stopped knitting, to call the midwife, it meant birth was imminent.
This presence created security. Company. Trust.
And often, better outcomes for birth.
So, in your waiting, whatever it looks like, how do you hold yourself?
Are you aware of your thoughts?
Do you rush ahead into the future?
Do you replay the past?
Or can you allow yourself to be here, in this moment, even when it feels uncomfortable?
This liminal space is not who you were, and not yet who you are becoming.
So what do you do?
Do you distract yourself with social media?
Do you eat to fill the gap?
Do you keep yourself busy so you don’t feel discomfort?
Waiting goes deeper, too.
Waiting for an apology that will never come.
Waiting for your family to do the right thing with an inheritance.
I’ve found myself waiting a lot, waiting for my cat to come home (she finally did, so grateful).
All is waiting. And waiting takes up so much space and time in our lives.
But sometimes, waiting for the right time is important.
Like waiting until ovulation gives you the best chance of conceiving.
The question becomes: how do you know when it’s the “right” time?
Because we can also spend so much of our lives making excuses, telling ourselves it’s not the right time yet.
The truth is, the answer is already within you.
Our timings and our becoming are unique to each of us.
And the way to know is to listen, deeply, to your intuition.
Trust yourself. Trust the timing of your life.
If this reflection on waiting and timing speaks to you, join me this Saturday 13th at The Pause, our monthly women’s circle. We’ll be exploring intuition, listening within, and learning to trust the wisdom that guides us. Your seat is waiting, and there are 2 places available.
Check out NEW website, I would love to know what you think.
Loving you in the waiting
Theoni