All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

 

To me, the spider is a symbol of patience. He prepares his trap. He waits, ready to receive his reward.

Sometimes people don't exhibit this virtue. This morning a car came up behind me on the highway. The driver repeatedly blew her horn, then swerved around me to pass on a hill. I was driving 55. The speed limit was 60. The highway, I knew, intersected with another less than a mile ahead. The other driver and I arrived at the intersection simultaneously.

I was impatient, too, last August when I had been eagerly searching for a dog to take Kazak's place. Finally, although she didn't seem quite right for us, I adopted Uno, who turned out to be unsuited for our way of life. After that bad experience I decided to stop looking and, instead, wait for the right dog to find us.

Both the impatient driver and I wasted a good deal of energy trying to change reality. But now I'm convinced that all good things do come to those who wait. A sweet, gangly golden retriever/Australian shepherd mix was abandoned at a gas station last week, and, after four days, rescued by my friend Barb's neighbor. Barb met the dog and immediately called me. I picked him up right away. He is about a year old. His name is Victor. After he has had a bath I will post his photo.

These experiences have me pondering phrases such as "in the fullness of time" and "when the time is ripe." Patience may be nothing more than allowing events to unfold in the fullness of time.  When our actions can make a difference, the patient person acts. When our actions cannot change a situation, the patient person waits.