Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Topic is Patience

Yesterday was one of those frantic days with a long "to do" list. One item was to buy a new planner to replace my lost one which is somewhere in sunny California...Probably left in a motel room but neither place we stayed had seen it when called about it. The mystery of the lost planner. So how can I, the master list maker and lover of writing all things down, survive? With PATIENCE my husband suggests...maybe someone will find your planner and mail it to you. But we are leaving for Texas this Friday and I have to get organized before then...which brings me to the topic for today PATIENCE. We never have enough if it ever....just when we think we do, something else will unexpectedly arise to test it and prove to us our incompetence in that area.

So what is PATIENCE?...well, I looked it up and it is an amazing principle...which includes: enduring, tolerance, uncomplaining, long-suffering, and serene. Able to endure waiting or delay without becoming annoyed or upset. Persevering calmly when faced with difficulties and able to tolerate being hurt, provoked, or annoyed without complaint or loss of temper. Sounds like a SAINT or ANGEL to me. Other words used are: endurance, staying power, persistence, fortitude, serenity to preserve calmly when faced with difficulties and not loosing one's temper.

Anyone out there want to claim they are patient? I'm usually pretty laid back but today I had so many errands to run-get maps from automobile club, return some sale items, buy a new planner, see the doctor for new blood pressure medication then I ended up at my most unfavorite but most convenient pharmacy in Walmart to get new pills. Okay, so I managed to do all of my list written on the back of an envelope with patience until I got to Walmart.

My doctor had faxed my prescription over, so I waited in the pickup line for about 10 minutes to get my pills. But they weren't ready, they did have my papers but it had to be input in the computer and then the pills labeled and that would take 25 minutes. I was told to take a seat and wait and they would call me...so 35 minutes later I'm wondering where are my pills? I get back in the pickup line and ask the salesperson...she says "oops-someone had put them on the shelf instead of by the cash register."..she was sorry BUT I was irritated, impatient, close to expressing a little bit of anger...time to take a deep breath and realize waiting for no good reason does happen to all of us at some time but incompetency is so frustrating to me. Of course getting upset doesn't help my high blood pressure!!

11 comments:

  1. See??? Even lousy experiences read well. I just figure when something happens that is really hard for me to tolerate..at least it's going to make a good journal entry. And it generally does.

    Haven't I ever told you my favorite patience poem?
    Here goes:

    "Patience is a virtue,
    Acquire it if you can.
    It's seldom found innwoman.
    And never found in man."

    I don't know that it has a foundation of truth, but, I don't care. It makes me smile anyway.

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  2. Guess we work on developing patience all our lives. I surely didn't have any when I was younger, but I've made some progress lately -- I find most of my impatience these days is directed at myself though. But I do agree with mom/caryn that those times-- whether impatient with myself or someone/thing always provide a good post/journal entry.

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  3. I'm not sure that I'm equally patient--or impatient-- in all circumstances. When I know something is difficult or taxing to accomplish, I can be very patient and understanding. When someone is not making an effort or doing their job, not so much.

    I'm glad you got the things done you needed to do. Is your Texas trip to see family or just goof off?

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  4. Both...will see my husband's brother and visit lots of relatives. Also sightsee along the way.

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  5. What a great topic for me especially! My patience was definitely tried yesterday, ALL day. Today is better... so far:)

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  6. From your definition of patience, I would have to think I have never been truly patient! As a teacher I was paid to be patient, and seemed serene on the outside, but the insides always knew the truth. In there I could be screaming! Patience is much easier to practice when you have fewer challenges. I think about how impatient I was last week, sitting on hold waiting out jury duty. Yet I probably seemed fine on the outside.

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  7. Oh, don't even get me started about patience; it's one of my biggest Life Lessons to learn. You're so right about just taking deep breaths and letting it go!! Ikeep working on it.

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  8. I hope that planner comes back to you somehow!

    Thanks for the reflection on patience. I don't have much of it, though I find at work I call it breathing!

    Your post made me think of the Pilgrims who bore names like Patience and Humility. I wonder if this helped them remember to be that way? If it worked, I'm all for a little ol' name change for me!

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  9. That is really funny....I used to have this embroidered item that I had done,,,in the kitchen...Grant me patience...I want it NOW...the NOW was booming out of a cannon...you know the picture. Now I'm old and white haired and seem to have all the patience in the world. I never go to a store if I'm in a hurry. And then when People say, "sorry" for holding up the line, I can say...No problem, I'm not in a hurry. I never shop in a hurry.

    Actually I guess I don't do anything in a hurry anymore. so that is good. who'd a thunk it of me?

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  10. No..I am not patient except where my students were concerned..I had tons of patience for them and none for anything else..so why them and not anything else? Something to think about for me...

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