Good evening, #Monomad friends
Here is my entry for the #monomad contest by @brumest and @monochromes.
The wait
This Friday, I had scheduled a relatively quick appointment at my dentist in Lisbon. It didn't seem worth driving, considering how busy the city gets on Friday afternoons, with so many cars trying to leave Lisbon... So, without hesitation, I took the train.
These past two weeks, despite being able to do things calmly and not rushing around, sometimes it seems that some things weren't done calmly enough... And I miscalculated the time it would take to get ready to leave the house and catch the train. Result: I missed the train that would have left me about a 5-minute walk from the doctor's office in time for my appointment, with a margin of at least 20 minutes.
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like knowing that someone is waiting for me. I've always been like that.
At this festive time of year, it's true that we all walk a little faster. We are infected by the fast pace of our surroundings. And the closer we get to Christmas, and particularly New Year's Eve, the more evident this effect becomes.
Year after year, I notice that the buzz around me has less and less effect on my spirit. And believe me, I am much happier and more balanced this way. I may not be as social, or participate in all events, but in those I am in, or decide not to be in, I am aware of it.
I am more present in the moment.
And when I arrived at the station, I noticed that the train that would get me there at the perfect time had just left.
Nothing to do. Or rather... YES! There is something to do, yes. As I still had half an hour until the next one, and before sitting down to read a book I had recently started, entitled “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, I took the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere a little.
Train stations, as well as platforms, railways, carriages, and locomotives, have always fascinated me since I was a child. I think it was something that stuck with me because of how happy I was whenever my father took me on a trip to Lisbon, and we went by train. At that time, the carriages were very different, and there were some with a window at the front of the first carriage. And guess who always stood in that spot? That's right... It was almost magical!
And what seemed like half an hour of utter boredom and worry about being late for an appointment turned into a moment when I remembered good times from my childhood, when I remembered my father... And when I read a fantastic book, which is helping me grow intellectually in terms of understanding and discerning global economic policies.
And you, how do you make the most of waiting time... Do you despair, or on the other hand, try to find something that awakens your curiosity, imagination, and memory?
I hope you enjoyed my post here in the B&W community
Bem Hajam 🍀
Photographed with Samsung A26 by @xrayman in 2025, 19 December
Photographic edition with PhotoScape X
Text original written by me in Portuguese and translated with DeepL.com (free version)
