Whatever happened to the saying ‘good things come to those who wait’? In today’s busy and fast-paced society, we tend to expect everything to happen right away, and if we want something, we want it now. But why? Why are we so against having to wait for something?
Two new chairs have recently moved into our home, but we’ve had to wait for them. We’ve had to wait for them to actually be created, which is something that we don’t see very often these days. In a world of fast fashion and fast-paced consumption in general, we are instead used to instant shopping where everything is ready for us to take home with us immediately as we’ve decided we want it. And it’s spoiling us. It makes us used to always having everything at hand and it encourages quick purchase decisions and impulse shopping.
But what if we allowed ourselves to wait a bit every now and then? To embrace the old saying?
Good things do come to those who wait
Some scientists argue that there is a circuit in the brain which tells the human mind to delay seeking immediate satisfaction and that people are therefore willing to wait for larger rewards rather than going for the instant but small gratification. Feeling like you’ve earned something surely is a better feeling than one where you feel like you’ve rushed into a decision, even though the adrenaline of an impulse purchase might excite you in the moment?
The slow living movement and the ideas around conscious consumption encourage us to slow down and take the time before we buy things. To really consider what we need and spend extra time on finding something that will last. Buying things that then have to be created before you can actually have them, take this even further. Waiting for a knitted jumper to be knitted before it’s yours. Or in our case, waiting for chairs to be produced before we could have them.
Pros and cons of waiting
When deciding what chairs to buy for our dining table, I’ve definitely been taking my time. I decided I wanted different styles so have bought one or two chairs as I’ve found them – focusing on second hand or design classics. And I decided on a pair of classic wooden chairs from Norrgavel, even though it meant I would have to wait for them. But when reflecting on it, I realised that this idea of someone having to create our chairs, by hand, in a small, local, Swedish factory before we could have them is a concept that’s not very common, or maybe even very appreciated in today’s society. However, it’s also definitely something I’m seeing more of and the sustainability and slow living trend is most likely helping.
The art of waiting is of course hindered by the fact that sometimes, there are practical reasons for why we want something now. A large part of what we buy is based on wants, but often, we’re having to buy something because we need it, for various reasons. And if we need something, especially if it’s for a special occasion, we will most likely need it now. But as part of being a conscious consumer, we should be asking ourselves whether we do actually need something now, or whether we could in fact wait. (Or of course, whether we need it at all.)
We haven’t been able to have friends over for dinner as we 
haven’t had enough chairs around our dining table. But taking the time, to find the right chairs, and waiting for them to be created, hasn’t majorly impacted our lives, so the inconvenience of it can’t really be used as an excuse. And it’s been worth the wait as we now have beautifully crafted chairs that can tell a different story than mass-produced chairs can. From a sustainability perspective I also like the fact that custom-made products mean there is less waste as products are only created following the demand that exists for these particular products. And as a side-note, I’m also loving how the chairs arrived, not in boxes filled with plastic and weird foam, but wrapped in a blanket made from textile scrap bits. Packaging is an ever-increasing issue, in a world of online shopping, and I’m seeing innovative ideas, especially by smaller independent brands (but it’s an issue that probably deserves its own post at a later occasion!).
An appreciation of craftsmanship
Waiting is most definitely an art. Especially in today’s society where we do everything we can to not have to wait, and new technology and apps help us to do things right away, with just one or two clicks. But the trends for slow living and the appreciation for craftsmanship that’s increasingly visible are helping us to bring back waiting as a concept we can appreciate. As we’re seeing some sort of re-birth of the Arts and Crafts Movement (as I wrote about almost two years ago), we’re again valuing quality and quantity. We’re valuing, and enjoying, storytelling and take pride in being able to tell the story of where a product is from. And having this luxury of being able to purchase bespoke products, we will also have to wait for them. But I’m definitely feeling that we’re approaching a time where we don’t mind.