等待也是一种智慧。人生，要学会坚持，也要学会放弃；要学会寻找，也要学会等待。等待并不是胆小，而是准备；不是懦弱，而是智慧。机会需要把握，也需要等待。如果不等准备好便出发，那么可能就是失败。

The older I get （Im 53） the more I realize that life often moves at a slower pace than Id like. This runs contrary to the view today that life is moving faster than the speed of light， that were all running around so quickly that we dont have the time to think. Yes， we have picked up the pace due to technology， but there still exists a time frame that sometimes runs as slowly as snails.

随着年龄增长（我53岁），我愈发意识到生活的节奏比我想的要慢得多。这与今天的关于生活的速度比光速快，我们四处奔忙而没有时间去思考的观点背道而驰。是的，科技的发展让我们得跟上节奏，但仍有这样的一种时间框架，有时和蜗牛一样慢。

Furthermore， I have learned that rushing things can often be a form of suicide. If we try to speed up the natural pace of existence， it can be harmful.

此外，我知道，行事匆匆往往像是自杀的一种方式。如果我们试图加快自然的速度，则可能是无益的。

Lately， Ive noticed the importance of waiting patiently in three areas. Lets look at them below.

最近，我注意到了耐心等待的重要性的三个方面。让我们来一起看看。

Waiting out people to respond to you.

等待人们对你的回应。

I learned the importance of this kind of waiting when I was dating my future husband. Stephen was a shy， cautious1 young man. I fell in love with him at first sight， and I really wanted to call him and move the relationship forward. Stephen wasnt calling me， and I so wanted to communicate with him. But I knew if I was too pushy2， he might be turned off.

当我和我的未来丈夫约会的时候，我了解到了这种等待的重要性。史蒂芬是一个害羞，谨慎的年轻人。我第一眼看到他就爱上了他。我真的很想打电话给他，把关系向前推进一点。史蒂芬没有打电话给我，我很想和他聊一下。但我知道如果我太积极了，他可能就被吓跑了。

In a kind of “love promise，” I purchased a tea set for him， which included a tea cup， honey sticks and a box of peppermint3 tea. I loved tea， and I wanted to share this delicious drink with him. While I was ordering the set through the mail， I prayed a silent prayer， “Dear Lord， I am purchasing this tea set with the hopes that one day soon Stephen and I can sit down and share a wonderful cup of tea and get to know each other.”

沉浸在一种“爱的承诺”中，我买了一套茶具给他，包括一个茶壶，蜂蜜搅拌棒和一盒薄荷茶。我喜欢茶，我想和他一起分享这美味的饮料。当我在邮件中订购的时候，我默默祈祷着，“上帝啊，我购买了这套茶具，希望不久后有一天，史蒂芬和我可以坐下一起分享一壶美妙的茶，互相了解。”

In short， I waited him out. And about two weeks after our first date， he called.

总之，我等他出来。我们的第一次约会后的大约两个星期后，他打了电话。

And we did drink our tea.

我们确实一起喝了茶。

The rest is history. Weve been married 17 years.

剩下的就是历史了。我们结婚17年了。

Im so glad I waited for him to call me.

我很高兴当时等着他给我打电话。

Waiting out things in the workplace.

在工作场所等待事情。

As a writer， I have to wait for editors to make their moves. I cant be emailing them every five minutes to find out if they love my work. Sometimes， I have to wait months for editors to make decisions. And this is the age of the Internet！I remember the olden days of snail mail. Things really took a long time then.

作为一个作家，我必须等待编辑们的行动。我不能每隔五分钟就给他们发一次电子邮件来询问他们是否喜欢我的作品。有时，我不得不花几个月的时间来等待编辑做出决定。现在是互联网的时代了！我记得过去蜗牛般速度的邮件。那个时候事情真的很花时间。

I have to say that over the 35 years that Ive been a professional writer， and Ive gotten used to waiting.

我不得不说，在过去的35年，我一直是个专业的作家，我已经习惯了等待。

I think of the old motto， “Good things come to those who wait.”

我想起了一句古老的格言：“好东西是等来的。”

Waiting out bad situations.

等待糟糕的情况结束。

Often， a bad situation doesnt disapp-

ear instantly. This is unfortunate， but true.

通常情况下，糟糕的情况不会立即结束。这是不幸的，但是真实的。

For instance， my son was having some behavioral problems at school. It seemed that he was getting into trouble every day. The problems appeared to be stemming from4 his attempts to get used to sixth grade. My son didnt do well with new experiences. Conse-

quently， he sometimes acted out negatively.

例如，我的儿子在学校里言行举止上有一些问题。他似乎每天都在惹麻烦。问题在于他试图适应六年级。他面对新的体验无所适从。因此，他有时表现出消极的行为。

But as the weeks passed， he got used to the new procedures， students and teachers， and the behavioral problems faded away.

但几周过去之后，他习惯了新的进度、新的同学和老师，于是他的问题消失了。

Things improved， granted at a slow pace， but they improved. Thank you， Lord.

事情有所改善，虽然速度很慢，但总算是情况愈变愈好。感谢上帝。

In conclusion， sometimes its best to exercise extreme patience， to go with lifes slow flow.

总之，有时最好锻炼一下极度的耐心，去与生活的慢流同步。

Resolution takes time.

解决问题需要时间。

Best we learn this as soon as possible.

我们最好尽快学会这一点。