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The plan was to meet for breakfast at 9, but you know how plans go.

I arrived 7 minutes early and parked on Forbes Street, a 2 minute walk from the fresh coffee and conversation.

I got us two seats at the bar and waited.
When sitting down I immediately put my hand in leftover syrup that was pooled on the table from the person who had been sitting there before.

This is one way to know you’re at a good breakfast spot.

I dipped my napkin in water, washed off my hand, and texted my friend.

“Hey! Just got here. I got us seats at the bar! You’ll see me when you get here.”

A waitress approached me and asked if I wanted a coffee while I waited.

I smiled and nodded.

She filled the mug to the top.

I sipped and waited.

Every time the front door of the restaurant opened I turned around to see if she was here. 

The two ladies next to me were catching up. The lady directly next to me was drinking a coffee with a little milk. She was half way through an Everything bagel sandwich with bacon and an over easy egg with a yolk so yellow I thought she was biting into a liquid sun. Her friend had two pancakes and based on the size of them she would be needing an afternoon nap.

The door opened and I turned around to see if it was her.

It wasn’t.

It was two guys dressed in tuxedos.

“Oh! Well, don’t you boys look nice!” said the hostess.

“Who is getting married today?” chimed in one of the waitresses.

One of them raised his hand and smiled and nodded, the same way I did when I was asked if I wanted a coffee.

It was 9:13 AM and my friend still hadn’t arrived or texted.
I was beginning to get worried, so I sent her another text. 

“Uhhh you coming? :)”

I sipped my coffee and tried to not make it look like I was waiting.

But I was.

Waiting keeps you ready and wondering. Waiting is a force that we can either rest in or be washed away by. The slow moving of time invites you to pay attention. If you let it, waiting will fill your ears with stories, put your head on a swivel to see the world around, and open your hands and heart a little bit wider to receive the beauty that comes with enduring the passing of time. However, waiting can also usher in a flood of lies and leave you trying to keep your head above the rising water. You’ll kick and dig and wonder how much more you’ll be able to take. You cannot escape this life without waiting. It’s something worth getting good at.

“Is your friend still joining you this morning, sir?” asked the waitress.

I still can’t believe people call me sir.

It’s weird.

I don’t like it.

“I think so?” I asked or said, but I spoke with a smile.

The ladies next to me got their check.

$56.33.

Breakfast is getting expensive.

The door opened again and I turned around to see if it was her.

It wasn’t.

It was now 9:19 AM.

When do you accept the fact that your friend isn’t going to show up? How long do you wait before you order food? Before you realize that what you are waiting for isn’t going to happen? Before you tell the waitress it’ll just be you dining today?

The door opened again and I turned around to see if she was her.
It wasn’t.

It was a father and daughter.

I inhaled deep and exhaled, accepting the fact that I would be eating alone.

“Excuse me,” I said to the waitress, “I think it’s just going to be me this morning.”

She gave me the most sympathetic look before letting out a kind, “Awwww. I’m so sorry.”

I ordered a Chicken Biscuit with a side of hashbrowns. The same thing the Groom was eating at the end of the bar.

The father and daughter sat down next to me.
They were loud talkers.
And vegan.
Do you know how I know?
It’s all they talked about.

But I didn’t mind. 

My waitress filled up my cup with more coffee and I asked for the check.
$23.19.
Breakfast is getting expensive.

Before I left I texted my friend again.

“Hope everything is okay!”

And it was.
She called a half-hour later as I was driving home.
She apologized again and again.
I told her it was okay, because it was okay.
It was.
I wasn’t mad.

This happens.
Waiting happens.
Plans don’t always go to plan.

But we both got something out of the morning:
She got some extra sleep and I got a story about waiting.

About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.