How is it that a day consisting of 24 hours can seem like an eternity? I had a conversation last night with someone who recently went through a needle biopsy. It took eight days for the follow-up in the doctor’s office. It was clear that even with a busy schedule, the looming cloud waiting for the results is overwhelming.
It would certainly be easier if the doctor could give us instant results from our tests. The anguish we feel going through the diagnostic process is enormous. Even those who are good at compartmentalizing their lives find it difficult to cast the uneasiness to the side and go on with life as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
The truth is that with a single sentence your whole life can change. The fact that it takes so long for test results to come back means that we walk a tight rope on the emotional front. We’ve learned to take an assumptive stance when waiting for news. We can and often do pick up on what the negative results will be and how life will never be the same. Even when the odds are overwhelmingly in our favor we’ve been conditioned as a culture to put ourselves as the underdog instead of the victor.
Obviously test results will come back for some with unwanted news. The waiting process shouldn’t be a living hell. Maybe it’s a time when we begin to think about what’s important in our lives. Maybe it’s the catalyst to begin thinking about who we want to spend our time with or what path we want our career to take. If we utilize this time as a time of reflection, it doesn’t make the waiting any easier, but it may be more productive no matter the results.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 