I have no witty story or funny comments today. This is really more of a personal outlet for my brain to hopefully wake up and smell the roses. You see I’ve been down the last couple of days. I’ve felt that I’ve let myself be walked on by a few people and I didn’t know why. Some days it seems that my patience is less of a virtue and more of a burden. It really is hard to be that nice all the time.
Yesterday I received a Facebook message from a friend which I’ve known since high school. A teacher I used to have. We’ve made several failed plans to reconnect and catch up. (Before you think it, I will never complain about him. He means so much to me) He made the point that I’ve been way to patient with him. However when he continued, it made me realize why patience is so important.
“I literally felt pain at the thought that I could not have that cup of coffee with you. […] Your talent, your passion, your joie de vivre which are so evident on your site as the woman of substance you are—who would not want to meet with that person? […] You deserve this note because you have been way to patient with me but you had to know how important you are to my growth as a person and as a teacher. It’s individuals like yourself who just radiate talent and curiosity about life who make the world a better place.”
It hit me like a brick. The people who I have in my life are there because I’ve been patiently waiting. I feel like it’s a tricky line I dance on. When those days of self doubt creep in, because I’ve patiently built friendships, it seems they are always the first to brighten my day. So yes, while it’s hard to keep patience in its place, I find having the occasional run in with a steamroller hurts less when patience is liberally applied.
