Welcome back, you promising acquaintances! Last week, we practiced giving first impressions another chance to introduce us to a new experience. Did your future-self come up with something to say? Perhaps a literal read of your favorite song lyrics left you wondering what you really heard in the first place. Whether you made something new or found another reason to enjoy something familiar, I hope you gave curiosity a few minutes of your calendar.
For this week’s creative nudge, we’re going to use another social custom we are all familiar with. Wait for it…our nudge this week is the practice of waiting in line. It’s possible you are doing this creative nudge while scrolling this column (thanks for reading this far by the way!). By the time you’ve explored your creative side for several minutes, I’m confident you will find yourself at the front of the line, metaphorically.
Once I join a line, I acquire a peculiar set of skills and responsibilities. I monitor the neighboring line for signs of unfair progress. I silently verify that you do indeed have 15 items or less in that cart. Naturally, I also occupy my busy brain by constructing shopper backstories based entirely on the mix of your selections.
I also, sometimes, check my phone. But then I miss the emotional roller coaster of looking at all the impulse purchases possible in those last steps before you complete your purchase like a law-abiding citizen. No matter the habit you are trying to break, you can bet your algorithmically enhanced retailer will be there to tempt you with a sweet treat or shiny trinket.
Appreciate the small surrender involved in waiting! At my best, I behave in line like I behave as a car passenger. I notice plenty, but opportunities to influence the proceedings are nil. Unless an accident is imminent, I generally keep my thoughts to myself in both cases.
A line creates an interesting temporary community. One that agrees to proceed in an orderly fashion. Your position generally depends on when you arrive, which is pleasantly easy to understand. Whatever importance we carry around elsewhere, here we wait our turn. We may have very different plans afterward, but for these few minutes we are all in the same boat.
Each interesting community needs art to truly exist, even temporarily! Risk making eye contact with strangers, even forgetting where you are for a minute, with one or more of these nudges in the right direction:
- Queue View: Imagine looking down at your line from the ceiling. Notice its bends, gaps and clusters. Turn that shape into something else: a river, a creature, a piece of jewelry. As the line advances, let your design change. Congrats on using 100% organic materials for this work!
- Standing Reservation: Invent a snack designed for this exact wait. Consider temperature, texture, flavor and where the trash goes. What could be eaten gracefully while holding a basket and a purse? Name your creation and imagine the first bite. Try making it when you get home.
- Before and After: Construct a three-panel cartoon in your mind. Begin with a small moment from your trip here. Put the line in the middle. Finish with something you’re looking forward to afterward. See how much of a day you can fit around these few stationary minutes.
- Company Line: If you’re waiting with someone, take turns inventing what this line is really for. A licensing office for imaginary pets? A breath mint taste test? One person names the destination; the other explains why everyone is so eager to get there.
- Limited Offer: Invent something that belongs among the checkout temptations. Refillable patience? Emergency fart diffuser? Or maybe invent a checkout lane where you can solve a riddle or bag your own groceries for a discount.
It’s easy to let a few minutes in line become the defining inconvenience of an otherwise productive outing. We wait for a career to advance, for a chance to be the first one in the door, for our turn at the wheel. You might even be the type that likes to be last in line. Whatever the reason, and no matter how long it takes, may you find yourself standing exactly where you want to be.
This column was written with help from ChatGPT, which assures me that choosing the slowest line demonstrates tremendous courage and personal growth.
