I rarely read my daily horoscope, but today while waiting patiently for my husband to come to breakfast, I decided to read it. I started laughing because it fit me so exactly. This is what it said, "Your patience is legendary. However, when the raging bull is finally prodded past the point of no return, the others should really get out of your way." Those of you who know me well will agree totally with that statement.
Normally I am an extremely patient person. I am the one who can put crying babies to sleep with my calm patience. I can deal with cranky people without losing my temper as a general rule. Once when I was working in a customer service position, a gentleman watching me deal with an overwrought customer told me that "You could tell someone to go to hell and they would ask you for directions." He then said if I ever needed a job, he would hire me in a minute.
But it was at that same customer service job, where I was known for my patience that I became legendary for losing my cool. One day after an extremely trying morning, I picked up my purse and told my fellow employees, " I don't have to take this anymore." and walked out. I met my boss in the parking lot and when he asked me where I was going, I told him the same thing. He was so stunned he didn't know what to say. When I returned the next day, I was treated like a celebrity and that story was told for years.
Few people have ever seen me lose my temper but my family could tell you a few incidents. Ask my sister Cherrie about me smashing her snowman and this was when we were both grownups. I remember a Thanksgiving that went terribly wrong and I ended up stabbing my counter top over and over with a fork. I have been known to lose my temper when I felt my children were being wronged. One particular incident occurred when my one of my son's was in grade school. For some reason, the female gym teacher did not like him and there had been several incidents of confrontation between them. We lived just down the street from the school and one afternoon he came home and told me that the gym teacher had shoved him hard and he hit his head on the wall. I was furious and I ran to the school and confronted the teacher. The principal who knew me very well got involved. The result was that the gym teacher was put under surveillance and eventually fired. The funny side to that story that has been related for years in our family is the fact that I had been peeling potatoes and my hands were red from the skins. My face on one side was swollen from an infection and I was quite a scary sight.
Along with being patient, I am also persistent. If I set my mind on doing something, I will not give up no matter how long it takes. It doesn't matter what my goal is I will patiently keep going until I attain it. My husband calls me the bullheaded Swede which is another reason I laughed when I read that horoscope.
Being patient now has become an even greater asset since my husband has been diagnosed with Parkinson's. Though on the whole, he is doing very well, one of the side affects of Parkinson's is a slowing down of the body and the brain. It takes him a long time to do simple tasks like dressing. His doctor says the brain takes a while to tell his muscles what to do. So I have learned to allow him extra time and I use that time to my advantage doing chores or paying bills. That way neither one of us has to worry about letting loose that raging bull.
Being patient has its rewards. But a good blowout once in while is very cathartic.
