Patience: A noun meaning the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
I get it we are living in some pretty frustrating time. We have all been locked up for too long. Jobs have been put on hold. Those who are working are working in different experiences.
We are separated from our families, friends, and lives. We are told where we can shop, where we can go and when we can do it.
Patience in today’s world has been replaced by frustration.
Personally, I have had some experiences the past few weeks that required more than patience, but the need to shut up and walk away. Work would be the first place that I have had to forgive and accept.
Working on the front-line means changes. We are on high alert at all times. Things like a minor cough use to mean they could have a dry throat. Now is it Coronavirus? Everyone is trying to do their best job. They are also tired, concerned, and burning out from working in high alert. And they are frustrated!
Their work lives and personal lives have had so many changes and keep changing daily that taking a day off means coming back to different rules and ideas. The conversations and decisions made yesterday are new ones today.
I have seen my co-workers snap at each other and not even realizing they are doing it. They have snapped at me and I’m pretty sure, I have snapped at them, thou I hope not.
The benefit of this relationship is we know each other and it’s easier to forgive because we are there together sharing the stress. We also know each other well enough to know when something is off with each other.
The outside world is a little harder to have patience with. Let me share three experiences I’ve had in the past few weeks. This, by the way, is the total of times I have been out.
The first one happened in the grocery store. This woman is standing in the middle of the aisle, blocking the aisle texting on her cell phone. She dressed in more PPE then any surgeon I have worked with. I wait for her to move, she sees me standing there and keeps texting.
Finally, I have given up on this woman moving and putting her phone down and I walk by. I’m now halfway down the aisle when I hear her yelling. Yes yelling… six feet, six feet. I turn to see what the commotion is about and realize, she is yelling at me why she is still standing there texting. I shake my head and walk away.
My next experience is at Walmart. I only go out every two weeks to shop and things are changing every day. I’m now in the aisle yet again when a woman starts giving me the death looks. I have no idea why.
After she scurries off, I realize, they have made one-way arrows on the floor and my cart is facing in the wrong direction. I committed a shopper’s sin. I didn’t see the arrows. Again I shake my head and walk away. I am now educated, in the past two weeks, some stores have added arrows on the floors. Be sure to check them to avoid death looks.
Yesterday we went to pick up a dresser at curbside pick-up. I follow the instruction on the email and call when we arrive. The woman who answers the phone tells me I must park at curbside pick-up. I explain to her the curbside pick-up is single row parking and I can’t park there as I have a trailer on the vehicle. If I park there I’ll take up all her parking there. She repeats the same thing to me in a less friendly voice.
I take a deep breath and explain to her again that I have a trailer and I’ll block off all her curbside parking. Again she repeats the same thing to me only now she sounds frustrated.
This time I repeat myself again adding, I will be happy to park my trailer and block all your parking as long as she is ok when others coming to pick-up started complaining because I have blocked off parking, can I give them her number.
Suddenly the light goes off in her mind and she realizes what I’m saying. The tone in her voice gets nicer and she tells me to park as near to it as I can and let the guys working in pick-up know where we are and why.
Holy crap… did I really have to have the same conversation three times for her to understand me? Or was it the threat of having people complaining to her that she didn’t want? I guess being courteous is also a sin.
In this house, we understand that thou we are all going through this pandemic at the same time we are experiencing it differently. We also understand people have health risks of their own or family members and they are scared.
What we don’t understand is that lack of patience. Patience in today’s world has been replaced by frustration. Frustration will not get things done any faster nor will it speed up the return to the new normal. If anything the new normal will be twice as frustrating without patience.
Tomorrow I have to go to the grocery store and the drug store. I look forward to who will be frustrated or rude. Not really. What I hope for is to keep having the patience to ignore the bad behaviors of those who are frustrated or fail at communication.
I really hope these behaviors and lack of patience are not part of our new normal.
Building The Love Shack 
Great article… do you think patience has become a dying art?
It has been interesting watching peoples’ reactions to being in quarantine. For 8 weeks most people here in Spain have stuck to the rules. Today in our region we began phase 1 ( of 5 phases) of relaxation. You would think the virus had been eradicated! Our estate is jumping! It’s only phase 1 folks!
I am naturally quite patient. My daughter’s first baby is due at the end of this month. She lives in Scotland. I will probably not meet baby until he or she is several months old as international travel restrictions, quite rightly, will not be lifted for some time yet. It’s ‘sare tae bear’but bear it I must. To make this work, while watching all my Spanish neighbours reunite with family, I will continue to keep busy, teach on line, do my garden and try not to get frustrated! Patience is not easy to master, it’s a learning curve with dips but maybe if we were all more patient and kind the ‘ death looks ‘ that you describe would not occur. ( Spaniards don’t have social distancing DNA or arrows on the floor…I haven’t experienced these looks here !!)
Take care and thank you and all your colleagues… your kindness and patience IS appreciated. Besos y abrazos.
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My Grandmother use to say, patience comes with age… but I hate to say it most of the population is at the age and all guilty parties I wrote about were of the age. I am afraid we have become a very entitled selfish society and this pandemic has shown many people’s true colors. We are just opening our doors here in Canada also and the same, you would think it disappeared. I will like you, sit back and take my time. It seems to me if it didn’t hit your home with many they are still not taking it seriously. I hope round two is not going to be worse than round one. Congratulations on the new grandbaby. PS you might be lucky not to have the arrows..lol…
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Oh, I completely understand. Walmart especially can be very chaotic. One day I left there in such a tizzy that it left me completely depleted and ruined my day. Being frustrated is one thing, but giving my power away like that is another. I gave away a whole day of my life because of one hour in Walmart. That put things in perspective for me. I can’t allow that ever again so I’ve made changes for myself. I am getting up earlier and utilizing the early morning hour for shopping. It is a much nicer experience and I am in and out much quicker. The workers in the store are more pleasant at that time also. I’m learning as we all are to adjust my mind in this situation. It is the only way to keep our mental health during this crazy time.
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Hi Mary, I’m with you on the learning to adjust. I’m finding I am getting quieter and distancing more than just social. The politics, the misinformation, and the whole thing has caused me to throw my hands up and walk away from many things. I took to a step forward to my own mental health and have done a shut out. It has been quite lovely in my quiet world.
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In all the information I have heard I think they are rushing to open things back up, but I am not an expert. All I know is having asthma I will still wear a mask in public and do all I can to stay 6 feet away from other people. I can’t say it will keep me from getting it, but I will do what I can. THANK YOU for your service on the front lines of this pandemic!
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Thank you. As many have said, just because they said it’s open doesn’t mean we have to go and put ourselves in jeopardy. I personally don’t want to see the second wave and will also continue on with being safe.
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You are welcome.
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