The Door That Was Waiting for Us

We often tell ourselves that the right time has not arrived. But sometimes waiting is preparation, and sometimes it is fear. In his column 'From the Silence Within', Santosh Nair reflects on patience, procrastination, changing dreams and the courage required to begin.

For twenty years, a man walked past a small shop on his way to work. Every morning, he looked at its closed shutters and imagined opening a little bookshop there someday. He could see the wooden shelves, the old books, the children sitting on the floor reading stories. Whenever his wife asked why he did not begin, he had the same answer. “The time is not right.” First, he was waiting for a better salary. Then the children had to finish school. Then there was a loan to repay. One evening, after his retirement, he stopped outside the shop and discovered that it had been rented to someone else. He stood there for a long time. His wife gently asked, “Are you sad because somebody else opened the shop, or because you never even tried?” He had no answer. For the first time, he wondered whether time had kept him waiting, or whether he had been hiding behind time.

We grow up hearing that everything happens at the right time. There is comfort in those words, especially when life disappoints us. A student fails an examination. A young woman loses an opportunity. Someone waits years for recognition. We tell them to be patient, that their day will come. Sometimes this is wise advice. A fruit cannot be forced to ripen simply because we are hungry. A child cannot learn everything in one afternoon. Some things need practice, experience and years of quiet preparation. But there is a danger in believing that time alone will solve everything. A........

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