Patience Necessary for the 21st Century

795 Words2 Pages

As human beings we are constantly adjusting to the increasing speed of the 21st century. More times than we can count we find ourselves losing our minds, and more importantly our patience. We sigh when forced to wait in line at the post office…well at least I do. We curse our computers for being too slow and honk our horns at slowpokes in traffic. Time certainly has a rightful place when we think about it, but it’s absolute insanity to think that everyone and everything should move at the pace we dictate. Most of us, myself included, could learn a thing or two about patience. I am a firm believer in the phrase “Good things come to those who wait.” Even though it is hard to wait for things, let’s face it, when have we ever rushed into something that had a good enough outcome?
For a long time I took patience for granted. Not really bothering to listen to my mom when she would say things like “take your time, go slow” or “stop rushing, you’re going to forget your head one day”. I never understood the meaning underneath the exasperated sighs of my family and friends as they listened to my annoying and incessant complaining. Their patience has been my refuge during hard times and difficult situations. However, I didn’t really grasp the meaning of patience until I was about fifteen when I got my first babysitting job. At first, it was a nightmare. It was like stepping into an episode of Supernanny and I was Jo Frost…just much less confident in my nannying skills. The children were loud, obnoxious, and bad-mannered. They had absolutely no disregard for anyone but themselves. The first time I met them I was about ready to run for the hills. But the parents couldn’t bear to be without a sitter and I couldn’t bear to be without a job or mon...

... middle of paper ...

...m too. So we must learn to accept all the twists and turns life hands us.
I recently read a quote by Chrysta Barrie that moved me; she said “When I lack patience in my life, I am more likely to make hasty decisions, to sacrifice my long term goals for short term gain, and to replace gratitude with impatience.” This quote got me thinking about my own constant “on again, off again” relationship with patience. How many things in life did I walk away from just because it didn’t happen when I wanted it to? How many times did I get frustrated, curse, complain, and get irritated about something that could have potentially been amazing; all because I couldn’t wait for it to show up. With this I’ve learned that when life throws you a curve ball you throw patience back. After every loss and every downfall, life is throwing us a dose of patience and teaching us how to wait.

Open Document