Showing posts with label impatience. Show all posts

I always prided myself on having a ton of patience. Lately I've realized that is sort of a lie. I think that I have very little patience after all.

I've come to the conclusion that reading has done this to me. Now how can reading possibly make somebody have less patience you might ask? It's really quite simple. When you read a book of any length, the things that are happening in the story don't happen in real time. A young boy witnesses the death of his father, he runs away from the danger to be raised by a nomadic tribe. While he is with them he learns all sorts of survival skills that better equip him to handle physical situations. As well as teaching him to "commune" with nature and be one with his environment. That's a not too uncommon theme in a lot of adventure books. The problem is that when the story picks up again the boy is grown up and has already learned all this stuff. The story moved along and he is self sufficient and sometimes already becoming successful and wealthy.

I want that. As I read these stories it sounds so great. Learn all these really great things and go out and take the world by storm. There is just one problem....It doesn't happen overnight in real life. We have to actually commit to our goals, we have to make priorities and follow through with a plan. No guarantees either. We could work for years to attain that goal only to find that it's a pretty sad state we are left in.

There are no do-overs. Sure we can go along a different path and try something else, but you can never get back the time you invest. I was always told to enjoy the ride, because the journey is half the fun. Maybe that's true, but I'm still waiting. Don't get me wrong I have so many things to be grateful for. I have a great family and a good job. I'm fairly healthy. Those are all things I should be thankful for each and every day. BUT.....I want more. I want that storybook ride. You know where you go in and take down the bad guy, become the hero and save the day. The community thinks you are a swell guy and little kids want to be like you.

Unfortunately that is why it's a story. It's meant to inspire or frighten. To motivate you to some emotion. Well congrats to the authors of all these books I read, you have indeed motivated me to some emotion, and lately it's been irritation. So I've decided to just try that advice I always got when I was a bit younger. I'm gonna enjoy the ride and see if the journey really is half the fun.

I guess I should be happy that I don't have 3 feet of snow blocking my doorway. No mudslides and no freaky storms of any kind lately. It's high 60's and the sun is shining most of the day. So I guess it could be worse.. While I'm enjoying the "ride" I'm still going to keep my eyes open for that one chance to save the family from the burning building or stop the runaway car, cause you just never know right?