The Waiting Game

There is something agonizingly long about waiting for the occurrence of future events, especially when they lie in uncertainty rather than assurance. As I stare at my watch its ticking hand reminds me of one of those expectations, the contents of which is - for now - uncertain. Clocks, calendars, dates, and times have been unfriendly reminders that time is uncontrollably slipping away but to turn that argument on its head they are also profound reminders that time is a definite source of measurement - despite all our moans to the contrary - something that is dependable, quantitative, and meaningful.They say reflection is good for the mind, a time to ignore the progress of time and focus energy on yourself. My moments of calm reflection have been few and far between over the past year, I would liken them to Flight of the Bumblebee, just perhaps not as precise on each note. That said, finding moments of clarity, however brief, among that madness has been an education in itself; outstripping my moments of desperately searching for arbitrary definitions in books.Do I wish to be living in an alternative reality right now, in many ways yes; but I was told by someone years ago that happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have. So I am trying to alter my mindset to not keep one eye fixed on my watch. Trying to see the light through these shades of darkness, to allow me to regard them as just shades rather than an overwhelming umbrella.After the winter break, whose name is a deception in itself, the team have returned a phenomenal issue to greet the new semester. Maeve McTaggart pens an article on UCC’s inaugural Bystander Intervention Week while Sam Curtin tackles one of the most hotly contested topics in the arena of boxing at the moment.The inevitable truth is time does not speed up or slow down according to my desire, my hope is that this waiting game deals a fair hand so I can play it to the best of my ability.Until next time,Fiona Keeley