Patience

When I was younger, I was always impatient. I didn't like to wait for people to get back with me, or wait for people that were late for appointments, (honestly I still have a tough time with that one), a job could never get done quick enough. I was a Type A boss. If it was something I excelled in and the people I was working with didn't, it would make me so anxious and frustrated. I had places to go, people to see and all these people just slowed me down so much.

The little old person in the car ahead of me going 25 in a 55 MPH zone. (hell even 25 in a 25 MPH zone), Try to run into the store for one item , one register open and the person in front has a paper bag full of coupons that they are digging through. There's another wasted 5 minutes. Waiting for someone to back out of a parking spot and for reasons I still don't get it takes them 5 minutes to put the key in the ignition and put it in reverse. How does our society program us to think that a few extra minutes means life or death? What are we going to miss. If something is supposed to happen , it will happen!

When my in-laws came to visit and we would go places, my mother in law had chronic pain in probably most of her joints. I understood and felt bad for her, but I still remember thinking sometimes she was milking it for more attention. I would get very frustrated. She was slowing ME down.  Well believe me I regret that so much now, I can't describe it, because of two years I experienced chronic pain. To go like that year after year, non stop, is more than most can bear. Thank God mine could be repaired. So if someone is moving to slow, and there is no other options for you, just take a deep breath and be glad that's not you someone is having to wait on. It's usually a few extra minutes. It just seems longer.

All my life it was push, push, push. Well let me tell you this. If someone asks me is there anything I would change if I could go back and do it over, this would be at the top of the list. From where I'm sitting now, all that rushing, day in and day out did nothing for me that I can see. There are periodic times when I know it needs to happen, just don't make it a daily routine would be my suggestion.

All you do is wear yourself out mentally, physically, and you make a lot of people want to avoid you. And in that area, I think you could miss some golden opportunities along the way. Life experiences have taught me this. It makes me remember times when I should have shown more patience or compassion, and help to those people along my way were moving to slow, working to slow, maybe need a little assistance, or wanting to just talk a little and I didn't give them that extra couple of minutes.  I think it will make a world of difference in your life.