Boy Meets Girl (June 6th)

        Let us, then be up and doing
        With a heart for any fate:
        Still achieving,
        Still pursuing,
        Learn to labor
        And to wait.
                - Henry Wordsworth Longfellow

    In a world where so much is available to us at the push of a button, it's amazing how impatient we've become. I know for a fact that waiting five minutes for the microwave to finish defrosting the chicken, can seem to me, like fifteen. Or when I'm standing in line at the supermarket, I'm constantly trying to figure out why the staff seem to be moving oh, so very...slowly...
    It's funny, because it's not as if I have fewer hours in the day than anybody else. And hey, if the Einsteins, Oprahs and Mother Teresas of this world can achieve so much in their twenty-four hours, then I should probably be a little more patient.
    But I, like so many others, want our wants - Now!
    More money – Now!
    More love – Now!
    More free time – Now!
    More respect – Now!
    Whatever it is that we want, we rarely think, "Ah, yes, that is a beautiful dress. The price is right and it's a great fit, but at this particular moment, I don't want it. I'd rather wait and buy it next month."  
    So like kids in a candy store, we pester whoever we need to, until we get what we want. And then we stuff everything into our mouths, as quickly as possible - then suddenly, we feel sick (and invariably guilty). We know that the benefits of being patient often outweigh the benefits of immediate gratification, so we promise ourselves that next time, we'll enjoy our candy a little slower. And we try to remember that we actually don't need to have it all, right here, right at this moment. We will get there – we just have to wait.