Day 31- Patience

DSTSS tells me to practice patience. Patience, like that is easily done. The chapter goes on to explain how much more relaxed I could be if I would simply learn to be more laid back and not in such of a rush. This is clearly something I do not need to be told, but something I cannot seem to do.

It is quite funny that this subject comes up because just the other day my husband was telling me how impatient I am, and that our oldest child is just like me. I have created a monster. Nixon and I have sat in a drive-thru before, ordered food, and pulled off because we both thought it was taking too long. "Mommy, go, they are taking too long." "Right on, son."

So how does one learn to be patient? Years ago when I read this book, I tried to teach myself patience by getting in the longer line at a red light instead of darting into the shorter one. My friend Brian said that I really wasn't doing anything, and that true patience will only come about when I am not creating an artificial situation, but real ones. He killed my spirit and I quit trying to learn to be patient.

Of all the things that I value in life, time is one of them. I think that is why I get so upset when someone seems disrespectful of my time. If I have an appointment at 4, I expect it to start at 4:00 and not 4:01. I made an appointment at that time because that is what works for me. I have something to do at 5:00 and for every minute we start after 4, that is a minute that is taken away from our time. I do not want to start at 3:45 because that is too early, I have something else I am doing. If I wanted to start then, I would have said 3:45. As you can tell, I have an issue.

Again I ask, how does one learn to be patient? I don't usually put much stock in wiki articles, but I do think this one has some truth in it. Here are the ideas I am going to work on. Like Billy Murray's character in What About Bob, I must use baby steps.

1. Remember, for every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness.

2. If you've nothing to do while you're waiting, just try to appreciate the fact that you have nothing to do. In a fast-paced world, opportunities to do nothing are rare and should be cherished for their time to be un~bothered by minor things.

3. Instead of becoming annoyed by a distraction (such as a crying baby on a long flight), try just being a passive observer. If you make it daily practice to observe things and events without judging or forming an opinion, being able to acknowledge something without allowing it to annoy you will become easier with time.

Only three ideas, but I don't want to overwhelm myself. I must be patient in my ability to learn patience :)

--God, please help me to overcome what has been a lifelong struggle. I pray that I become more aware that I am losing patience before I actually get to the breaking point, and that I can learn to stop my exasperation before it is out of control. Amen.