Hot Josh and the Waiting Room Championship
I arrived fifteen minutes early.
Professionals do that.
Legends do that.
The receptionist smiled.
“You’re all checked in.”
Excellent.
Everything was running exactly as planned.
Twenty-five minutes later…
Nothing.
No nurse.
No doctor.
No mysterious voice calling my name.
Just daytime television and a fish tank containing the least ambitious fish I’d ever seen.
Finally, the receptionist looked up.
“We’re running about twenty minutes behind.”
I checked my watch.
“You already used those twenty minutes.”
She smiled politely.
“I meant another twenty.”
Interesting.
Apparently time was renewable here.
I nodded respectfully.
Then I stood up.
“If we’re all waiting…”
“…we might as well organize.”
The room became silent.
An elderly gentleman lowered his newspaper.
A little kid stopped playing on a tablet.
History was about to happen.
“I’ll be assigning waiting positions.”
Nobody objected.
Mostly because nobody knew what I was talking about.
“You…”
I pointed toward a man sitting by the window.
“You’ve clearly been here longest.”
“You have seniority.”
He nodded.
Honestly, I think he appreciated the recognition.
A woman looked up from her magazine.
“What are you doing?”
“Improving morale.”
I walked over to the coffee station.
The coffee was empty.
I turned dramatically toward the receptionist.
“We’ve entered Phase Two.”
“There are phases?”
“There are now.”
She rubbed her forehead.
I created what I called the Waiting Room Leaderboard.
Longest Wait.
Best Magazine Selection.
Most Comfortable Chair.
Highest Probability of Falling Asleep.
The little kid won Best Tablet Skills.
He accepted the honor humbly.
About ten minutes later, the nurse opened the door.
“Josh?”
I stood proudly.
The room applauded.
Not because I asked them to.
Because leadership deserves recognition.
Probably.
As I followed the nurse down the hallway, she asked,
“What exactly happened out there?”
I smiled.
“I reduced uncertainty.”
She looked back into the waiting room.
The elderly gentleman was now helping someone choose a better chair.
Progress.
The lesson?
Anyone can wait.
Hot Josh turns waiting into an organized competitive event.
Because if you’re going to waste time…
You might as well be winning.
