Forty Days of Giving Up: Day Eight - Impatience

Smile, it come with patience.

I can be rather impatient.  Oh, yes.  You might not believe it, but let me assure you it is true.  There are times when I get very frustrated waiting..like at stoplights.  Oh, boy, do I hate waiting at stoplights.  I fume.  Yes, I sit and I fume about wasting time at stoplights that seem like they will never change.  And this is whether I am driving or walking the dogs.  Waiting is not always something I do well.  I want what I want and I want it now.  

Well, that is not always true.  I do agree there are somethings worth waiting for.  Today it might be this blog.  Since I am writing it in the evening, I am going to assume it was worth waiting for.  Impatience would not have hurried it up.  It was just one of those days I was doing other things and it was post-poned.  No, I was not procrastinating.  I gave that up on day one.  So today, it is impatience.

Seriously, impatience does not help one to have good mental health.  I can feel my blood pressure rise and I tend to get real grumpy.  This happens when I'm feverishly tryng to get something done or find a misplaced paper or my keys when I'm already running late.  So I did develop some good habits like making a list, placing papers in a file folder or my "to be filed" bin and hanging my keys by the back door dutifully when I arrive home.  But still sometimes I don't lay the proper groundwork to avoid the frustrations of not finding what I need when I need it.   And as far as waiting at stoplights, well, I find it a good time to think a deep thought, check my cell phone for messages, or just observing the people and things around me.

Okay, so impatience is not a sin.  But it not pleasant to be around, either.  I know that.  I am sure I will hear about the next time I have an attack.  It will probably be a temporary lapse in consciousness.  Remind me, gently, that I gave it up.  And please, please....may I ask you be patient?

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