All in good time

‘ I know what I want, and I want it now, cuz I’m Mrs VAIN.’

So, you know how sometimes life doesn’t quite give you what you want or replace quite by not at all), when you want it?  And then sometimes you either realize that not getting it was for the best,  or when you actually get the thing, you think ‘Wow all that for this?’  Yet why don’t we, or maybe why don’t I learn from this?  Why don’t I remind myself the next time, that either I’ll eventually get what I want, so there’s no need to rush things? OR the thing I wanted so badly, the information I couldn’t live without.....well in the end wasn’t really that important?

The other day my friend Ina and I were aimlessly walking the streets of Paris and doing what one does in these moments: admiring the incredible architecture,  trying to solve world hunger, discover the true meaning of life and find a great pair of shoes to go with my new pants; a regular Friday afternoon. 

‘So, what would you say is your greatest strength or our best quality?’, Ina asked me while pointing at a fabulous pair of black pumps.

‘Well' I started,  'I can say this, the worst thing about me is my lack of patience.  Not just patience like waiting in line for something, which does also drive me crazy, especially when  I see that the line is being used inefficiently, GOD I HATE INEFFICIENCY!!! But also, patience when people have to tell me something, patience waiting on a job interview…. Probably the worst thing you could say to me, ‘Oh I have something super important to tell you NEXT WEEK!!!’  I can’t imagine having to wait for test results or anything more significant either, I'd probably die of a heat attack before even knowing the result', I replied.  Ina was silent for a bit and we just kept on walking.

Her question got me thinking, the truth is, I have never been patient, and have always admired the non-nonchalantness with which some to just accept that sometimes you have no control over a situation and all you can do is wait, wait for the job to call you back, wait for your friend to tell you that super important thing next week, wait before asking for a raise (and then chickening out at the last minute), wait for the guy to call you back and not bombard him with whatsapp messages (especially when you see he’s online and you’ve asked him a question AND HE JUST WON’T ANSWER!!!)....You know random examples like that which can test one’s own patience. 

‘You know, you’re right, this is something I have to work on’, I added, Ina having kept silent, but with a slight smile, this entire time, when finally she said ‘You know Andreea, the question was your greatest strength, maybe that you directly went to your greatest weakness is something we should look into.'

‘Ah right, well in that case, I’d say I’m just fabulous’, I said half laughing.

‘Yes you are!!!  And just imagine how fabulous you would be if you would just wait for other people to point out that fact!’ Ina replied bursting out laughing.

So Call me raider, call me wrong, Call me insane; but in the hopes of enhancing my own fabulousness (😊),  I've decided to explore the patience thing, to become that person that people look at and say: 'Wow that Andreea, she really has the patience of a Buddhist monk!'

Or something a little more down to earth and  start working on distancing myself from the instant gratification that I think accelerating whatever it is I’m waiting for will bring me and just accept that certain things take time and other things just don’t really matter (yes Whatsapp ignorer I'm talking about you!)

I found this great quote, and there are literally millions of them, but this one resonated with me and will be my 'growing patient' mantra:

‘A man (human being but it’s an old quote and women weren’t quite considered human then)  who is a master of patience is master of everything else.’ George Savile.  And who doesn’t want to be MASTER OF EVERYTHING else!!!

(and FYI I got the shoes and they look fabulous)