There are people who are complacent by nature. And some people are irritable by nature and some people just seem to be OK with whatever. Which one are you?
I’m not sure where I fit in this, but I do know I am very impatient. Impatient with traffic, impatient with people I love, and just generally impatient.
I’m trying to fix this flaw in my character by counting to 10 (or more as needed) before I react and that brought a comment from my friend, “What’s going on? You’re usually so quick with retorts or responses. Now you seem to have to think over every comment.” So now I’m faced with being thought to be a slow thinker or voicing my impatience with life.
Take this situation: I am on my way to Wenatchee to teach a class and I stopped to get gas. While the fuel is busily flowing into my car, I step over to the coffee kiosk and the two ladies within are in a conversation about some guy:
“And he was fumbling for his wallet as the waitress stood there waiting.”
“He is so cheap. Did you end up paying?”
“No. I waited him out, but when he did get the wallet out and open, he didn’t have enough money so I still waited and he finally pulled out his check book …”
Then she turned and saw me standing there at the window.
“I’ll be right with you,” she said and continued her conversation. As I walked away I heard “… and then he didn’t have any checks.”
I think I was patient here, wasn’t I? I just decided to get coffee later.
Or take this example: I’m happily taking my daily walk and a guy comes out of his driveway and says, “Where you going?”
“Just taking a walk.”
“Nobody just walks. Where you going?”
I just smiled and started to leave when he said, “I’m so tired of you people walking by and not telling me where you are going. Don’t walk by here any more.” I didn’t answer him and I continued my walk (and, yes, I go a different route now). See how I held my patience and just smiled — but can you imagine what I was thinking?
I’m telling you all of this so everyone will know I am really, really trying to be patient when you are ahead of me stopped at a stop sign in Hansville, trying to make a right-hand turn. I know, because your turn signal is on. There is no traffic coming from either way and still you sit there. Never mind there are four cars waiting behind you (including me). I am trying to understand what you are looking at instead of making the turn. Trying very hard, but I’m happy when the car directly behind you honks and you make the turn.
So, now you know about the new me — working on being patient. I’ll keep working on it. Let me know how I’m doing.
— Donna Lee Anderson writes Hansville Happenings for KCN. Contact her at WellToldTales@aol.com
