What To Do While Waiting

We're all waiting, right? Some of us are waiting to hear back from editors and agents. Some of us are waiting for our burrito to warm up in the microwave or the laundry to finish its cycle. Some of us are waiting for true love or for the kids to get home from school, but we're all waiting.

So to pass the time, I came up with a list of things to do while waiting. Feel free to copy it if you'd like and if you have any really great secrets about how to suddenly become a more patient person, PLEASE let me know.

1. Watch the snow fall outside the window (sorry this won't work if you live in Hawaii).

2. Write a "book page" poem. To do this, tear a single page from a book (obviously not a good book) and circle one or two words from each line to create a poem. If you like black markers, you can cross out all the words besides the ones you've circled.

3. Draw a picture. It doesn't have to be good. It can be a doodle or a perfect copy of the Sistine Chapel (or a picture of a very bored looking girl with crazy hair)... you choose.

4. Clean the fridge. This is a boring one, but it sure feels good when you're done.

5. Learn some new vocabulary words. Pick a couple words randomly from the dictionary and see how many times you can use them today.

6. Learn French. This one might take a while.

7. Write a thank you note... and actually mail it.

8. Give the dog a bath and then laugh at it when it rolls around on the carpet trying to dry off.

9. Go get a hot dog at Costco and sit and people watch for an hour. Bring a notebook and write a sentence about each of their stories.

10. Clean out the junk drawer and make a collage with the trash. 

What... you're still waiting? Maybe it's time you tried making your own list.