Patience

Our Internet was down this morning so I had time to read the attachments on a monthly newsletter that I receive. I found it ironic that I didn't have the patience to sit still and read November's article on patience. I didn't get through it in November and I didn't make it through to the end this morning either. What is my problem? Is it that I have an issue with patience perhaps?

I unplugged the router and restarted the computer. Nothing. So I waited and occupied myself with other things (I was patient ... see?!???)

Eventually, I called our Internet provider and the first message that they had on their recording was that our area was going to be down for maintenance this morning. I accepted the explanation and went about my morning. I was still patient. Honest! I was ...

I could have started writing something. Anything. Anywhere. I don't have to blog to write. Right? Interestingly enough, this is when I started to feel my patience thinning.

I have my little rituals that put me in a place to sit still with my thoughts and write. I drink my morning smoothie as I read my favorite blogs. Often I will read something that triggers a moment of reflection. Sometimes this inspires a thought that I write about. Sometimes it doesn't. But I like to sit down and enjoy my morning coffee with my virtual Internet friends (that have no idea of my existence, nor my dependence on their company).

After more time elapsed, I went and unplugged our Internet modem and router. I walked away from them so that I wouldn't plug them in too soon. I went back. Plugged them in. Restarted the computer. Waited for the computer to condense my email files (it took forever ... note to self: "clean up emails!!"). I was still very patient. Really.

Eventually I sat down and read a newspaper that happened to be in the house. Hmmm ... sitting down at the kitchen table and reading a physical piece of 'literature'. I remember mornings like this! Maybe my addiction to the Internet is ruining what used to be a good thing (do you notice that my patience levels are still intact?).

Finally ... it was when the lack of Internet services was causing my son's girlfriend grief because she had work that she had to do, that I called our Internet provider one more time. Apparently I did everything right ... right up to the point where I plugged in the modem and the router at the same time. The correct thing to do is plug in the modem first. Wait for all lights to come on. Then plug in the router. Otherwise they don't 'talk to each other' and the Internet will not work.

Moments later, we were up and running. Everything was right in the world once again. Except ... they aren't.

At this moment of writing, it is 9:47 a.m. The message: "An error occurred while trying to save or publish your post. Please try again." is on my compose blog screen. It is taunting me. One wrong move and all of these words will be gone. I cannot save this post nor publish it (yes, I have copied and pasted it onto a completely separate document but I keep changing the content).

Is my patience starting to thin? Just a tiny bit. But maybe I should go back and absorb the article that I couldn't digest this morning. Perhaps this morning is trying to tell me something ...

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success."

~ Napoleon Hill

It is now 10:00 a.m. ... I think all systems are 'go' and I will now attempt to 'publish' this lesson on patience...