To underscore the importance of waiting in line for a silent minute.

[MoseySusan]

The gift of a meaningful pause, from Fred Rogers. 

“Fred put it like this:

‘I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today.  Some of them may be here right now.  Some may be far away.  Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in heaven.  But wherever they are, if they’ve loved you, and encouraged you, and wanted what was best in life for you, they’re right inside your self.  And I feel that you deserve quiet time, on this special occasion, to devote some thought to them.  So, let’s just take a minute, in honor of those that have cared about us all along the way.  One silent minute...

Whomever you’ve been thinking about, imagine how grateful they must be, that during your silent times, you remember how important they are to you.  It’s not the honors and the prizes, and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls.  It’s the knowing that we can be trusted.  That we never have to fear the truth.  That the bedrock of our lives, from which we make our choices, is very good stuff.’”

[bikeman564™]

that's lovely

[Kirby]

Fred was very wise.

[BuffJim]

8 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

The gift of a meaningful pause, from Fred Rogers. 

“Fred put it like this:

‘I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today.  Some of them may be here right now.  Some may be far away.  Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in heaven.  But wherever they are, if they’ve loved you, and encouraged you, and wanted what was best in life for you, they’re right inside your self.  And I feel that you deserve quiet time, on this special occasion, to devote some thought to them.  So, let’s just take a minute, in honor of those that have cared about us all along the way.  One silent minute...

Whomever you’ve been thinking about, imagine how grateful they must be, that during your silent times, you remember how important they are to you.  It’s not the honors and the prizes, and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls.  It’s the knowing that we can be trusted.  That we never have to fear the truth.  That the bedrock of our lives, from which we make our choices, is very good stuff.’”

I left my phone in the car grocery shopping and was in danger of dealing with silent time while I waited for BuffCarla, who has a talent for picking the longest line. We each get our own groceries.

Anywho, I remembered that I had my work iPhone with me, so I could surf the net on there. Close call.

[MoseySusan]

11 minutes ago, Kirby said:

Fred was very wise.

Time standing in line is never wasted. 

[Randomguy]

58 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

Time standing in line is never wasted. 

I generally tend to think time standing in line is always wasted.

[MoseySusan]

18 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

I generally tend to think time standing in line is always wasted.

Feeling non-productive while waiting? 

[Kzoo]

1 hour ago, Randomguy said:

I generally tend to think time standing in line is always wasted.

That’s another reason I like the self-checkout lane.  With all the machines in the coral, the wait is real short.  

[maddmaxx ★]

28 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

That’s another reason I like the self-checkout lane.  With all the machines in the coral, the wait is real short.  

I went to Wal-Mart last week in a different town.  There were 18 people in line at the self checkout and no one in the cashier line I went to.  No wonder the stores are dropping self checkout.  Anyone willing to wait that long is stealing something,

To be fair that was one of the stereotypical Wal-Marts.  What a zoo

[groupw]

I tend to get viewed as a sociopath because I can wait in the elevator or a checkout line without HAVING to have my phone out. Sometimes I just like to observe my surroundings and get inside my own head - often at the same time. 

[dinneR ★]

A friend of mine passed away recently. He was my teacher, coach, and friend.

I had not seen from him in years. One day I got a call from an employee. "There's this guy here, says he knows you. His name is Sam." I'll be there in five. We reconnected. His positivity was infectious. I hired his son having met him once. Years later his son said I was the best boss. I trusted him to do his job and there was always beer in the fridge.

Sam's influence on me is huge. He was my swim coach and he could not swim. I will take a silent minute to remember Sam. The tributes to him are amazing. Former Speaker of the House, Four Star General. Friends.

Sam was a Cub's fan. We had to take a test during an 84 playoff game. Sutcliffe was on the mound. Sam wheeled in a tv and let us watch the game during the test. He would interrupt you to tell you Rick deserved the Cy Young Award.

[shootingstar]

95% of the line-ups I've been in, even during covid, at grocery stores, were not that long. Waiting for 10 min. or less, to me, is very minor.  My mind wanders and sometimes I look at other people's carts what they buy...and how much their total bill is.  

[MoseySusan]

6 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

grocery stores, were not that long. Waiting for 10 min.

This. Waiting is no trouble. It’s a gift of rest without any expectation. 

[Randomguy]

12 hours ago, MoseySusan said:

Feeling non-productive while waiting? 

I would always rather not be in line.  Maybe non-productive, but bad knees that swell while standing helps form a strong opinion, especially considering that the store decides that my time is wastable and my standing forever is preferable to proper staffing levels.  Plus, it is boring and anything is better than just dicking around with nothing to do.

There is zero upside to standing in line, I reject the possibility that there could be unless you have all the time in the world and are happy to waste it.

[MoseySusan]

Just now, Randomguy said:

There is zero upside to standing in line, I reject the possibility that there possibly could be.

Bad knees are misery, for sure. 

[Randomguy]

2 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

This. Waiting is no trouble. It’s a gift of rest without any expectation. 

I can do that in bed, or on a couch, or anywhere else where conditions require me to be someplace I would rather not be.  I know it is not always so bad to zone for a bit, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule.

[Randomguy]

2 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

Bad knees are misery, for sure. 

How dare you ignore my absolutism!!!  You are supposed to say 'WRONG!' or somesuch, and double down continually until we both die laughing on that hill!

[MoseySusan]

Just now, Randomguy said:

I can do that in bed, or on a couch, or anywhere else where conditions require me to be someplace I would rather not be.

But since you have to be in line, where you’d rather not be, why pour saltiness on the wound? Mr. Rogers suggests a silent minute of thanks for the people in your life who have supported your efforts. 

[MoseySusan]

1 minute ago, Randomguy said:

How dare you ignore my absolutism!!! 

Alright, you. I can ignore the narrow-minded contempt for humanity and self-sabotage of your own joy, but those exclamation marks. Bah! 

[MoseySusan]

6 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

but those exclamation marks. Bah! 

Wait. I meant WRONG.

[MickinMD ★]

14 hours ago, MoseySusan said:

The gift of a meaningful pause, from Fred Rogers. 

“Fred put it like this:

‘I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today.  Some of them may be here right now.  Some may be far away.  Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in heaven.  But wherever they are, if they’ve loved you, and encouraged you, and wanted what was best in life for you, they’re right inside your self.  And I feel that you deserve quiet time, on this special occasion, to devote some thought to them.  So, let’s just take a minute, in honor of those that have cared about us all along the way.  One silent minute...

Whomever you’ve been thinking about, imagine how grateful they must be, that during your silent times, you remember how important they are to you.  It’s not the honors and the prizes, and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls.  It’s the knowing that we can be trusted.  That we never have to fear the truth.  That the bedrock of our lives, from which we make our choices, is very good stuff.’”

Great thought!  I should point out that I don't need a silent minute to think about many who helped me.  Just this week I mentioned to my sister my college advisor, the late Prof. Victor Vitullo, and how lucky I was to get a chemistry research job on UMBC's campus under his research grant, with keys to the chemistry building, my research lab shared with one other undergrad researcher and my own desk in it. Then, Vitullo helped me get into grad school at IIT with a full scholarship and teaching assistantship.

I difn't fully appreciate how unusually lucky that all was until later in life.

[MoseySusan]

9 hours ago, dinneR said:

A friend of mine passed away recently. He was my teacher, coach, and friend.

To have known someone like Sam…what a gift! 

[MoseySusan]

1 minute ago, MickinMD said:

I should point out that I don't need a silent minute to think about many who helped me

Since you have to stand in line anyway, a moment of pause devoted to appreciation. 

It sounds like Vitullo could see your potential. That is truly a gift he took action on your behalf.