We’ve all been there before, waiting in line, for a table, for the food to arrive, or for that special day which never seems to come. As children we are impatient to grow up. As adults, some of us manage fairly well, while others can’t stand still long enough. These days, there appears to be a lot more of us in the latter category, as the pace of living seems to increase exponentially. But, there are times when, if we can allow ourselves to take a mental step back, exercising patience can reap unexpected rewards.
Let’s say it’s Sunday, and you and your friend finally get seated at your favorite little café for lunch. It’s really busy, since the brunch crowd are just finishing their meals and the lunch crowd is just beginning to trickle in. The waitress takes your order, and your both settle down to wait. The decibel level is somewhat high, and, after trying in vain to have a quite conversation with each other, you finally both decide to just sit in silence, be patient, and wait it out. As you sit there for the next thirty minutes, you watch people finish their meals and leave, while another half dozen diners troop in to replace the previous customers. The wait staff does laps up and down the tiny aisle between the tables, bussing, resetting, and seat customers. The food finally arrives, is as good as you remember, and you and your friend enjoy every bite. Not long after you’ve finished your meal, the waitperson comes up to your table and proclaims that she will be paying for both your lunches as an apology for the long delay in getting served. You try to tell her it’s not necessary, but she explains that your patience and kindness has helped balance out the impatient and demanding customers she’s been subjected to during the morning. You and your friend are left momentarily speechless, but since she continues insist, you finally accept her offer and thank her for her kindness. She tells you to pay it forward, and you both promise that you will.
There is a time and a place for everything, but patience and kindness have no season.
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