Patience is a virtue.

Saturday, November 13, 1999

Patience is a virtue. That simple statement is one virtually every mother has passed on to her children for generations.

The message is that we should all take our time, remain calm, listen to others and not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day life. Unfortunately the degree of patience Americans possess today is almost nil.

One only needs to read a daily newspaper or watch the nightly news to witness the violence that is sweeping our country. A cause of the violent eruptions is people’s lack of patience with each other.

It isn’t just violent acts that highlight this growing lack of patience among the populous. It’s found in every day activities like meeting and greeting people on the streets, dealing with family members and talking on the telephone – people are just down right rude.

America’s impatience is found on the roads and in the check out lines – it’s all around us. None of us enjoy waiting in line, or sitting at a traffic stop, yet these activities are facts of life that more often than not cause many a great deal of stress and frustration.

The bottom line is, Americans are becoming increasingly consumed by their own lives and have little or no regard for others. Toss in a growing paranoia regarding privacy and security, and America is turning into a land of millions of crabby, rude hermits.

Let’s remember we are social beings and we need to interact with others in order to live a fulfilling life. Interaction includes a give and a take, an ebb and a flow. Interaction involves patience and listening, not just talking.

One can learn a lot, and avoid some stress, if one just takes the time to stop and listen.

Fortunately for me I live with a patient person. She has to be, especially when it comes to doing household projects.

Tools and I aren’t often mentioned together in the same sentence. It’s a running joke amongst my in-laws and more often than not I leave friends just shaking their heads.

Recently I have discovered that being patient, reading directions and listening to those that may know a thing or two about fixing a toilet or putting in a new faucet really helps. My wife has also adopted a new approach when I’m fixing things; she puts the tools out and leaves.

Suffice to say I have not quite perfected my new approach. The plumber comes Monday and the electrician later in the week. I patiently await their arrival and will certainly listen to what they have to say.