Patience

When my son was little he would cry and whine and complain if he had to wait for something he identified as good or fun … like ice cream or a line to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. I would often hear myself saying in a very calm voice (after taking an extra deep breath), “This is a good opportunity for you to practice your patience.” I think back to those times and what I realize is this: saying that to him was SO much more for my benefit than his! I see now that it was me who was practicing my patience so that I would not totally lose my shit (and be that mom yelling at her child to stop complaining …) at the thousandth time he was whining about something taking too long. So, over the years, together, we learned patience … or at least some version of it!

In this world of technology and instant gratification I think we all could brush up on our patience … with each other, information, gratification, rewards.  And, yet there are times when waiting for something that you know is going to be so wonderful, delicious, fun, exciting, will make you want to cry and whine. So, those who have practiced the art of being patient accept what things are and what things are not and move on. Because we should all know by now that just because we want something doesn’t mean we are going to get it when we want it.

But one day … if we are patient long enough … we just might!