Small Success Thursday: Patience, Practice and Lists

Photo: lisasolonynko via Morguefile

For the past couple of hours, I've been growing increasingly frustrated as I ran the necessary obstacle course standing between me and writing time. It didn't help that I completely forgot that tomorrow is a holiday, which meant moving banking and other tasks on my list from "to-do" to "to-do today." I kept reminding myself to practice patience, all the while realizing there's a reason they call it practicing, as I ended up behind a succession of people in less of a hurry than I was in.

Lately, that seems to be the case much of the time. I don't seem to be able to achieve a middle ground where pace is concerned. I'm either so laid back that I drive everybody crazy or in such a ridiculous hurry that I drive myself crazy -- along with everybody else.

Once I'd checked off the necessary items and made it to Starbucks (behind yet another slow driver) with my laptop, I saw for myself why the pace I desired wasn't the pace to be admired. As I sit here typing this post, I am all alone at my favorite Starbucks. It's just me, my drink and two of my favorite baristas. Wow.

And then it clicked -- the best reason of all to practice patience: because we are where we are supposed to be at any given time. I know not everyone thinks that's the case, but it's been true in my life so often (as recently as yesterday when I ran the same rat race), that I've come to believe it's true. God knows where I'm supposed to be, and when my ideas don't match up with his, all I do is frustrate myself trying to achieve unrealistic goals.

Then came the next realization. Today is Small Success Thursday on CatholicMom.com. What a fantastic, marvelous, wonderful way to realize I'm not alone.

So here are those small successes. I made it through my list of errands. I ordered my daughter's senior portraits. I finally got that blog (and this one) posted, as well as answering a "what comes next?" question that's been plaguing me since yesterday, and, as a bonus, came up with a few new ideas (that weren't on the list) as well.

And along the way, I practiced patience, albeit reluctantly. But that qualifies as a success, because, after all, practice makes perfect.