Virtuous Me

I am helping a friend with a big project.  I am fairly enthusiastic about it because it involves many things that interest me.... OK, basically I am bubbling over with excitement.  I eagerly texted my friend this morning asking what I can do or work on next.

The reply, " Just patience:) "

to which I responded, " So basically, you've asked the impossible.... :) "

OK, so I admit I have a little problem with patience.... more than a little.

I am uncommonly patient with people who don't understand concepts you are teaching them.... say, computer skills... and I am very patient with special needs people... especially those who need extra loving take-your-time care physically.

But apparently I am not so patient about ideas that I am excited and on fire about.... which is not good cuz I tend to skew VERY enthusiastic.... almost constantly.  

This is definitely an undertaking that is going to involve learning some new skills and ... well... patience.... including with my self.  At first I was tempted to think 'Swell.... what do I do now?... Just sit here and wait?'.....

Then it came to me... my favorite definition of the word wait has always been 'active expectation of good'... there's nothing there about sitting idly with one's hands tied, unable to do anything productive.  And so I am going to be grateful for this opportunity to improve and strengthen one of my character's weakest muscle groups... that of patience... All the while actively expecting good!

steadfastly yours,
Joy

P.S. Below is some sagacity to put this whole patience thing in perspective.  Alas, I can't claim any patience in looking all this up, as the internet tends to feed my need for speed.  

pa·tience

   [pey-shuhns]  

noun

1.

the quality of being patient,  as the bearing of provocation,annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

2.

an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.

3.

quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence:to work with patience.

Definition:capacity, willingness to endure Synonyms:backbone*, bearing, calmness, composure,constancy, cool*, diligence, endurance,equanimity, even temper, forbearance,fortitude, grit, guts*, gutsiness, heart, humility,imperturbability, intestinal fortitude, legs,leniency, long-suffering, longanimity,moderation, moxie*, nonresistance,passiveness, passivity, perseverance,persistence, poise, resignation, restraint, self-control, serenity, starch, staying power,stoicism, submission, sufferance, tolerance,toleration, yielding Notes:patience  means the capacity to endure waiting,delay, or provocation without becoming angry or upset Antonyms:agitation, frustration, impatience, intolerance

[from Thesaurus.com]

* * *

Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms include hastiness and impetuousness. [per Wikipedia]

* * *

"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success."~Brian Adams


"Patience is the greatest of all virtues." ~Cato the Elder  (234 BC - 149 BC)


"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains." ~Dutch Proverb


"Our patience will achieve more than our force." ~Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)


"There art two cardinal sins from which all others spring: Impatience and Laziness." ~Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924)


"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent." ~Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)


"Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind." ~Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)


"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." ~Margaret Thatcher (1925 - ), in Observer April 4, 1989


"There will be a time when loud-mouthed, incompetent people seem to be getting the best of you. When that happens, you only have to be patient and wait for them to self destruct. It never fails." ~Richard Rybolt


"Patience is the companion of wisdom." ~Saint Augustine (354 AD - 430 AD)


"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew." ~Saint Francis de Sales (1567 - 1622)


"You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience." ~Stanislaw J. Lec (1909 - 1966), "Unkempt Thoughts"


"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble." ~Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC), Rudens


"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." ~Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)


"How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?" ~William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Othello, Act II, sc. 3


"Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper sprinkle cool patience." ~William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Hamlet, Act III, sc. 4
[from QuotationsPage.com]