That thought for the day is something my mother used to recite fairly often. Whether or not that helped me become as ridiculously patient as I am now or not, I don't know. But maybe. Or maybe it's simply because of my training. You know...kinda like a dog who's forced to sit still with a treat sitting on his snout until his owner gives him permission to eat it? When there is no other option, you darned well learn how to be patient.
My mom was fairly patient, but my father was always a gnat hair's breadth away from exploding in indignant fury. He didn't want to wait for anything... ever. I do remember one kinda funny result of that, though. One year, my mother bought him an electric razor for Christmas, and when he opened it on Christmas morning, lo and behold, there were already whiskers in it! He'd found the hidden razor weeks earlier and had been using it right up until my mother wrapped it. (I guess he musta liked it, huh?)
So are you the patient type? I think most mothers pretty much have to be, what with all the countless hours of waiting they have to do for their kids' appointments and activities. We older folks, too, what with all our trips to various doctors. Smarticus was never the patient type, but since his medical stuff started, he has little choice. When you've got all those appointments and procedures, week after week after week, you either learn to be philosophical about the endless waits and the not knowing, or you do yourself more harm by letting it get to you. We've learned to be more patient together. Right now, we're patiently waiting (And I ask you, why isn't HURRY THE HELL UP a virtue???) until we finally get results. Maybe next week... maybe not. At any rate, why focus on what's yet to come? It's better to make the most of THIS day, dontcha think? Que sera sera.
How do you think you'd do with THIS test of your patience?
Let's take some more looks at the funny side of impatience, shall we?
Do you suffer in silence? We don't. We might be patient, but we're also yakkers, and we usually get the people around us talking, too. And the little kids giggling.
We never had to push (or slingshot) our kiddos out of the nest, but I'm not surprised by the number of parents who do. I mean, when Johnny's old enough to invite his lady friend... and her children... over for the weekend, he's old enough to get his own place.
This one reminds me of a poster Smarticus used to have in his office at work. It showed a couple of buzzards, and one of them is saying, "Patience, my ass! I'm gonna kill something!"
Hmmm, come to think of it, Noah must've had the patience of Job...
Okay, so let's give it up for patience!!! Gimme a P...
Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things... with resignation, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope. [Carazon Aquino]
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
I am supremely patient. Except when I am not.
ReplyDeleteMy mother also recited that thought for the day - and I love your story about your father's patience in waiting for his Christmas present.
Still holding you and Smarticus firmly in my heart.
How utterly cool that your mom... on the other side of the world from my mother and me... recited that same thing to you. It really IS a small world.
DeleteThank you, sweet lady. I appreciate it.
I am a mountain of patience. Except when not. Much love, friend Sue. c.
ReplyDeleteHA! Good way to describe it. :)
DeleteLike most people, I don't like waiting. In the meantime old age has made me wiser, and I take my Kindle so I always have stories to read or listen to. In our doctor's waiting room there#s a sign that says 'Waiting is not a waste of time, it's an opportunity to enjoy the present' I'm not sure that this is right, but it's a nice thought! Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeletePerhaps always having something to read nearby is part of the reason I can tolerate long waits so well. I LOVE the words on that sign in your doctor's office. Thank you so much for sharing them. I think they're ABSOLUTELY right.
DeleteHugs back atcha.
That cartoon of the buzzards was a Far Side cartoon! Always hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI'm mostly patient everywhere except behind the wheel. That's when I want rocket launchers and lasers on my car.
Hope you get the test results soon.
Ah HA! I should've known that was a Far Side cartoon. (I've got yellowed F.S. cartoons all over my bulletin board...)
DeleteRaod rage, eh? Maybe you should let your bride drive. HA
Thank you.
Here we say 'patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who wouldn't wash her face' but I'm not sure why...
ReplyDeleteMay all test results appear with clean faces though xxx
HA! That's cute. It has the cadence of something little girls would say while jumping rope. (Well, when I was a little girl, anyway. I don't know if little girls even do such things nowadays...)
DeleteThank you. :)
Age has allowed me more patience as I no longer need to rush as much as I once did. I have the time to leave early and the time to wait as my schedule is seldom filled. I always come prepared with something to read or do during the waiting process. However, when it comes to waiting for test results, I want them the day before. I pray that you and Smarticus get good news soon.
ReplyDeleteMy Retired Man will go out of his way to avoid traffic lights and it often takes us longer to get someplace because his shortcuts never are. I admit, that drives me crazy.
The luxury of time is one of the best blessings of retirement, isn't it? I don't miss the rush-rush-rush of youth one little bit.
DeleteI've got a solution for ya. Instead of thinking of your hubby's roundabout routes as ridiculously long shortcuts, think of them as... scenic routes. :)
That is what he tells me. Meanwhile, I am so glad for the GPS that I know will get us home - eventually.
DeleteI would have to say my husband is more patient than I am. After all, he's put up with me and my, uh, "quirks" for over twenty years. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the spider cartoon!
Fingers crossed for excellent results......
Hmmm, well, I'd say it's a matter of perspective. I have a feeling he wouldn't agree. I betcha he fins your "quirks" very endearing. Plus, anyone with pet tortoises HAS to be patient! (It must take 'em a week to come when you call them...)
DeleteThanks. :)
great cartoons and Friday post. Patience for me does depend on the situation and I do truly try. It's the lack of control that starts the rev up. For whatever reason, I get most impatient at the deli counter. There's never really a line, the numbers aren't in sync, and folks should know what the heck they want when it's their turn. Big sigh.....
ReplyDeleteand now deep breath. Have a super weekend.
Thanks. I'm glad ya liked 'em.
DeleteI reckon the lack of control over a situation pushes a lot of people's buttons. Me? It's easier for me to be patient with situations over which I have no control than it is to be patient with myself for failing to control the things I should.
You have a super weekend, too.
Theses days the hurler I go the behinder I get, so I've had to learn patience with myself. Slow and sure is always better.
ReplyDeleteThat's what the tortoise said, too. :)
DeletePatient? Moi? Oh, heck no. My parents instilled in me a rule I wish others would follow: It's rude to keep others waiting. Okay, sometimes it can't be helped, such as when an ancient person advances at a snail's pace through the grocery story. But how I wish others would practice a little situational awareness. Fun, funny post, as always!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. My father was a huge stickler for being on time... actually for being a little early... so I understand where you're coming from. But some things, like waiting in a hospital waiting room or waiting for the results of medical tests, is beyond our control. For some things, there is no choice but to wait.
DeleteThat traffic video is a hoot!
ReplyDeleteThanks to my cell phone and tablet, I'm far more patient than in the past. And given my 14-hour wait in UAB's cardiac waiting room? Without my electronics, things might have become pretty ugly.
All the same, I was happy to witness the camaraderie which exists between other 'waiters.' Before heading back to Mississippi, one lady even walked around giving hugs and encouragement.
In that vein, I'm sending you a big HUG and scads of encouragement.
Cool. I'm glad you looked at that video. No one else mentioned it, but I think it's real hoot, too. :)
DeleteHospital waiting rooms are like microcosms of life. All kinds of people there, all there for different reasons, but all with one hoped-for result. You're right; it does create a certain camaraderie.
Thank you. :)
Our fathers sound very similar. Mine had absolutely no patience at all. He would immediately explode....like an atom bomb. My mother was infinitely patient.
ReplyDeleteI seem to be somewhere in-between. I can be very patient most of the time....but once in awhile frustratingly impatient. Depends on my mood.
I love all the cartoons on your post. The bird using a slingshot to get her kids out of the nest really cracked me up.
And those birds waiting to poop on the car....
You're right. Our fathers were very much alike. The explosions that frustrated me the most were the irrational ones. Like... for a brief while in the '50s, our local stores carried loaves of white bread whose edges were more rounded than a regular loaf. Well, he took a liking to them, so when he sent me to the store to get him a loaf and they no longer carried it, it became somehow MY fault. (I know you can relate.)
DeleteThose birds waiting to poop on the car? I believe that cartoon is based on FACT. :)
I have patience where do I have to be ? But as I say that I think there are time when I have said something. Afere all I am a little old fat lady who uses a walker and a cane. Plus I know how to use them both ! Wahahahahahahahaha
ReplyDeleteI like the Kathy Bates video part I remember that and when the girls were screaming at her she said something like you may be thinner but I have more insurance.
Hope you and Smarticus have a good weekend.
parsnip
YES! I love that movie clip, too. I can't remember offhand which movie it comes from, but it's a classic.
DeleteYou have a super weekend, too. :)
Sadly, anything involving the medical profession tends to involve lots of waiting around. I hope all your patience pays off.
ReplyDeleteYep, it sure does. Thanks! (I'm counting on it!)
DeleteI'm a patient person and pretty well known for it, but I do get impatient when I'm waiting at the bus stop for a bus that should have been "right here five minutes ago!"
ReplyDeleteSuffer in silence? Yes, but my back door neighbour sure doesn't. Every little thing gets heard about by every neighbour within earshot. Even late at night. Late late, like after midnight sometimes. Most of the time I just tune her out, something I learned long ago.
When you have to rely on a bus to get you somewhere on time, it can be very frustrating when it doesn't show up when it's supposed to be there, so I get that.
DeleteHA! In the blue-collar neighborhood where I grew up, few people suffered in silence. No air conditioning meant doors and windows were wide open during the sultry summers, too, so all the screaming and cussing of their grievances, arguments, and physical set-tos were graciously shared with the rest of the neighborhood. (I do NOT miss that!)
I think I am fairly patient. I think it's because I'm relatively boring. Okay, maybe not boring, but I'm easily entertained. Waiting rooms, car drives- they're all an opportunity to think.
ReplyDeleteI suppose there are times, mostly when I am anxious, that I lose my patience.
Raising four boys... you've HAD to be patient. :) Yes, easily entertained... I'll buy that. Me, too. (And that does NOT make us boring!)
DeleteNice post..
ReplyDeletelol he sure must have liked that razor indeed.
ReplyDeleteI'm patient in many a way, but sometimes when I know something should be done and the other person is being a slacker, my patience may go out the window.
Yep! He must've. :)
DeleteYou're such a get 'er done kinda person, I can imagine how frustrated slackers must make you. (Not my favorite kinda people, either.)
Hi Susan - love those - the cartoons and particularly the old age crossing - wonderful ... made me laugh. I'm relatively patient now - never really used to be ... but there's always a plan in my head for another way forward. Sometimes I'm chatty ... sometimes definitely not - because there's gossip going on around me!
ReplyDeleteI do hope next week brings relief for you both - in the meantime just enjoy life and the weekend - cheers with hugs - Hilary
Hi-ya, Hilary. I'm glad that video made you laugh. It cracked me up, too. :)
DeleteThank you. We're doing our best. Cheers and hugs back atcha.
❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteYes, I agree that patience is "seldom found in women, and never found in men."
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing cartoons... make me smile
I think men have less patience naturally, but adapting to life's challenges can either make them more patient or make them miserable.
DeleteYou're welcome. Smiles are our very best accessories. :)
Excellent toons and video on patience, dear Susan --determinedly upbeat and accurate. I started buying crossword puzzle paperbacks 17 years ago when caducity set in. My handheld electronics consist of a 20 year-old brick of a phone that's good for calling AAA Club when the car breaks down and that's all I ask of it. I wait patiently when that happens. Tow-truck drivers are among the finest people on Earth. Now what was I going to comment? Oh yeah, the "Urgent Loan" lady's comment over mine has a "Contact Number" beginning with "+", followed by a 12-jointed unearthly reptile of a number that is answered by a growly voice on Saturn. All my best to you and Smarticus. You are both in my thoughts and beat-up heart.
ReplyDeleteThanks, dear dude. Puzzle books, the newspaper, and just about any other reading material I can get my hands on keep me entertained during those endless waits. When our kiddos were... kiddos... THEY were my entertainment during those waits. And vice versa. Smarticus and I can keep each other entertained pretty well, too. We played a LOT of Yahtzee during chemo!
DeleteThank you. Not beat-up. Just well used.
Patience, what's that? LOL I have zero. My mother recognized that and told me I'd make a horrible teacher because I had none. She completely squashed my dream of being a teacher. But I proved her wrong, eventually. I did teach community college courses for a while. I figured adults didn't need patience. Just get the work done, no excuses. LOL
ReplyDeleteStill, I have almost zero patience!
Nope. I don't believe it. If you had zero patience, there's no way you could've been working with ME this long. (Or I should say WAITING on me...)
DeleteI love the razor story--hahaha! Good luck to you with all of the waiting. I'll be thinking of you. As they say, waiting is the hardest part. Knowing that doesn't make the time go any faster unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteMy mother and I thought it was hilarious, especially since my father tried to play Mr. Innocent, as though he had "no idea" how those whiskers got in there. :)
DeleteI also got a kick out of the Christmas razor story with your dad! I know how patient you are and Smarticus is very lucky to have you by his side. You are both always in my thoughts and I hope lots of good news is coming your way. xoxo
ReplyDeleteJulie
Thank you, sweet lady. :)
DeleteThe whiskers in the razor story is hilarious!! I used to duct tape my 2nd oldest son's Christmas gifts and wrap them like that as soon as I brought them in the house to ensure he didn't see them. I have a lot of patience unless we're running late, then I'm a 'chop-chop' mom (although I don't think I've ever actually said, 'chop chop.'
ReplyDeleteThe hidden camera video is funny. :)