Waiting to stop waiting

We are always waiting for something: waiting for the right time, the right person, waiting for answers, waiting for him to make the next move, waiting to be older, waiting for something worth waiting for. Even when we are acting on a situation, we are waiting for something else. And it makes me wonder, do we even want the things we are waiting for? If we did, why don't we just take them or go after them or do them right now? Why do we expect that something is going to change that will make a situation better or a risk more worth taking if we sit around and think about it long enough? Maybe waiting is just an excuse for not doing the things we are too afraid to do.

I just got home from a memorial service for a classmate of mine who recently lost a long-fought battle with cancer. He was an inspiration to so many people in so many ways and has taught everyone he touched something valuable about living. But he didn't get to wait for the things we are all waiting for now. He lived his entire life in 17 years and I am still waiting for mine to start. It agonizes me that I am sitting here waiting for the right time and place to do what I want to do, as if time is some sort of luxury, while his time was so limited. What gives me the right to waste so many hours that he doesn't even get to live in? I wish I could stop waiting; I wish I would hesitate less and go after the things I want. But most importantly, I wish Andrew would have had more time to wait.