The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing

Waiting can be boring.

Waiting can cause anxiety.

Waiting is inevitable.   It’s a part of everyday living.

What are we doing with the waiting periods in our life?  I’ve found myself wishing the time away, focusing on the “next big thing”.  Big chunks of our lives are in waiting, so are we wasting our life by wishing those times away?

After reading The In-Between I realize that’s exactly what I’ve been doing – wasting away precious time.   Time meant for growth and so much more.  The author talks about so much that I can relate to in life:  marriage, parenting, the older people in our lives, the everyday mundane.   He talks about how we can get more out of life in between the big things {the next job promotion, your wedding day, your baby’s due date, the vacation plans you’ve made}.

We all look forward to the weekend (or our scheduled days off work or school).  There are so many things in life we look forward to.  In the process we waste away the in-between times – the week itself, etc.

It is so hard to slow down and really enjoy the present.  There is so much to be done.  We are simply to busy and to impatient to enjoy life in the present.   I am looking forward to slowing down.  I just hope I can convince my husband and teenagers to do the same.

I received a copy of The In-Between:  Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Since reading this book, I signed up for the author’s updates on writing and life.  I’m learning a thing or two about writing.  I really enjoy what Jeff Goins has to say in his book I’ve just started reading: You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

About the Book

We waste too much time waiting instead of living, and in doing so we miss so much good in life.

That’s what Jeff Goins sets out to show readers in his brand new book The In-Between. Goins beautifully illustrates the significance of slowing down, paying attention, and valuing right now instead of whatever might be next.

Using a wonderfully designed patchwork of  stories,  Goins paints a vivid portrait of those small moments that make up nearly all of life – the ones we so often fly right by in the pursuit of the next big thing. We get so caught up   looking for excitement, gripping stories, and that one big thing that will      finally satisfy our desires that we miss the sum of those small   moments of life which is where satisfaction can really be found.

The stories Jeff tells come from his travels in Europe, as band member touring the United States, and life growing up in middle America. He writes of being misled by the heroes of comic books and brought to a screeching halt by the birth of his first child. His stories tell of life and love as well as the of the loss of life as he watched loved ones slip away. And through it all is a single theme: Your life is happening right now; don’t miss it!