Today I am a patient in the waiting room of my doctor’s office. Being a patient requires one to be patient. Let me explain.
I get sick two to three times per year but rarely is it serious. It’s almost as if my body is saying, “Time to slow down, Sarah. You need to rest.” It starts out with a sore throat and a general feeling of malaise. Most of the time it never goes beyond that. I have to rest and within four to five days I am usually back to normal. This particular time it is not getting better, ergo, my trip to the doctor. Again, no other symptoms except a mild headache. No cough, no fever, no sneezing or congestion.
Patience? Even though I’m retired, I have a full and busy life. I am editing my second book (“The story she had to tell” – a novel due out next Spring), promoting my first book (“For Dear Life” – a memoir taking place in Tehran, Iran in the 1970’s), taking care of and riding my horse “Barbie”, going to the gym, reading, cleaning, etc. You get the idea. My days are full! When I am sick, I can do almost none of the above! It’s frustrating at best, crazy making when I let it go there.
You may have much more serious health issues than I, so you know how important the virtue of patience is, especially if you are a control freak who likes to have things accomplished within a reasonable amount of time.
Patience was designated a virtue for a reason. It takes faith to let your duties and responsibilities go unattended while you focus on yourself. Time to go down a few levels on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs chart to the Survival or Physiological level. (See below.)
Here is a brief description of Maslow and his HON:
