When we say "patience is a virtue" we are exposing our moral values and expressing the importance of patience as a foundation of principle. All too often i am reminded about this phase and how worked up i get when i have to wait "for something". Typically i will find myself having to wait longer then anticipated, when i am already late for an appointment and rushed for time. Life truly presents ironic situations, and i find these scenarios somewhat comical when thinking about them (however when in the midst of being rushed and finding myself waiting and waiting - i truly am not laughing).
For the majority of us, we are required to wait in line on a daily basis. Whether this be while driving to work, running errands around the city, getting groceries etc. Our frustration levels rise and our patience is tested when we are required to wait longer then what we deem a reasonable amount of time. This was a valuable task that i took on for my act of kindness, which involved testing my patience while at the same time helping another. I was at the end of my grocery shopping on a busy Sunday afternoon when i chose the "wrong" line up at Walmart! My first thought was "how can they possibly only have 5 tills open on a busy weekend when there are 4-5 people with carts per line". I sucked it up and waited my turn, keeping myself busy flipping through magazines while i waited, and waited and waited. The lady behind me was obviously in a time crunch and getting more flustered by the minute. I tried not to stare at her, but when i turned around and saw that she was visibally upset, i offered for her to go in front of me with her cart. She still had to wait another 10 minutes or so, but she was that much closer to getting to where she needed to be. My small gesture tested my patience, as i was not wanting to wait in line either, however, i was not nearly as frustrated as the woman behind me. She thanked me and continued on with her day i would assume. It made me feel a little better knowing that i helped her save a few minutes and decrease or diffuse a small amount of frustration.
I am so blessed on a daily basis, that if the worst part of my day is to have to wait in line an extra 10 minutes then so be it!
I find my patience is tested with the kids when it comes to being on time or waiting for them. I have often told myself I need to start earlier to get somewhere earlier, and I need to 'chill out', but time and time again I find myself frustrated and flustered and hollering at the kids to cooperate. I will continue to work on that, as I seem to meet the criteria that follows the definition of insanity - Doing something the same way over and over again and expecting different results. :)
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