Tom Petty told us that The Waiting was the hardest part but he sure couldn’t have seen the twenties coming our way. I think I’ve always been a fairly patient person but 2020 and 2021 have tested – or strengthened – that in ways I never could have predicted.
Like most parents, I had to learn to navigate the pandemic with online schooling, with entertaining kids who could no longer hang with their friends and had to figure out the general protocols for the new world. When my husband was hospitalized, I had to learn how to communicate with doctors and nurses in new ways. I’m not sure I ever mastered any of those things, but I persisted.
I grew up knowing that I couldn’t control everything and that with time and patience, things tend to fall into place. I also knew that while waiting, I could do something productive to pass the time. I tried. Man, did I try. If I can’t do that, I can certainly do this. I was thwarted almost every step of the way.
I couldn’t heal my husband but thought I could get his car repaired. Multiple trips to multiple mechanics left me thinking it couldn’t happen but the tenacity inside paid off when I found someone willing to take on the project. That’s how I’ve gotten through. Patience may be a virtue, but stubborn tenacity gets things done. So I kept pushing.
And waiting.
The siding on our house was in terrible condition. So I researched. I made calls. I hired a guy to do the job. Five months ago. The contractor is still waiting for the supplies so he can do the work. When you do siding, you usually have to do gutters, too. So the gutter guy is also waiting for the siding to arrive.
Since I had to wait on siding, I thought I’d tackle the swimming pool. I hired the guy to replace the liner in May. We had to wait, once again, for the supplies to come in, so the liner wasn’t replaced until late July. Once the pool was full of water, I realized the pump was no longer working. So I hired a repair company in early August. It’s mid October and the parts still haven’t arrived.
And so it goes. I do what I can each day to get through each day. When I accomplish something, I allow myself a victory lap. As Guy Kawasaki once said, “Patience is the art of concealing your impatience”. There are a lot of encouraging quotes that intend to nudge one towards patience. Some favorites include “A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.” - George Savile and “With love and patience, nothing is impossible.” – Daisuku Ikeda but I really think Mr. Kawasaki hit the nail on the head.
Patience may be a virtue, but the art of it is making it look like it’s not a struggle at all. How am I doing?
