We are creatures of such limited patience. It's sad, really, to think of how easily we are upset by things that are beyond our control. We know our limitations, and yet we fight against them. There is a two-year-old within each of us, ready to have a tantrum when things don't go our way. I pondered this as I sipped coffee and watched the ducks glide gracefully across the pond this morning. Yesterday it was an entirely different scene. Rain was pelting everything. The wind was blowing furiously. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. And I spent the day wishing my internet would work, hoping it would work, willing it to work.
Gary had to work yesterday. Robert is spending the weekend with friends. I had the house to myself and I set out a pile of computer work to finish. Even though we have two computers, time on the net is limited by my work on other things and my capacity to share time with my guys. So you can imagine my frustration when that annoying message kept popping up to tell me that the connection was lost. Those are the times when I curse satellites!
I don't know why I didn't just put my work away and wait until today. The power even went off- twice. That should have been a hint. Instead, I worked on a puzzle, and checked the connection. Read some of my mystery novel, and checked the connection. Did some laundry, and checked the connection. Ad nauseam. Yes, I managed to pop out a couple of emails and write part of a blog that wasn't worth posting. I even looked at a couple of old newspaper articles. But the connection would always fail in the middle of the next page or the next site and then I'd grumble and go back to doing something else. I gave myself a headache.
Why didn't I just leave it alone? Why didn't I just tell myself that the storm would pass and I'd get it done later? Because I'm stubborn. Because I'm overly optimistic. Because I'm human and we just don't operate that way. God knew what he was doing when he left us an instruction book. He knew we would be forgetful and easily frustrated. He knew we would need guidance once in a while- like every hour or so.
Back to the basics. Back to understanding that the storms of life pass. For everything we wish to do there is a time to do it that is suitable for our purpose- and sometimes that isn't the time we planned. I've accomplished more this morning in one hour than I did all day yesterday. That should be a lesson- maybe one that I'll remember next time.
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