The LIGHT Center, T-90, College of the Redwoods (476-4290) - January 8, 2000

Patience…something of which most of us would like to have more. Something that some folks have more of than do others. While patience is something that most of us recognize as admirable, it is difficult to define or describe exactly what it is. The dictionary defines "patience" as the state of being able to wait or endure without complaint. Is this something that we are born with or is it learned? I recall my mother saying to me as a child that I must "learn to be more patient". Is patience related to compassion or empathy…or maybe the opposite of these? Maybe it is one's ability to detach from the situation that allows one to have patience and not be irritated by the situation.

This topic was suggested to me toward the end of last semester. I let it ruminate in my head for a while without taking form. Some events over the Christmas break however, enabled a greater conceptualization of the whole idea of patience. A long time friend of mine who is retired in Seattle was late in sending me a Christmas card. Hers is usually the first card to arrive. Then I got an email. It started with "A funny thing happened to me on the way to Christmas". It turned out that my friend woke one morning in December to the loss of her expressive language skills and any right hand movement. A great deal of testing revealed a golf ball sized frontal lobe brain tumor. She had surgery to remove this at the end of December. Another friend from Canada called me over the break. She is a single mom who is, or was a veterinary technician for the past 20 years. She found out with no warning that her job was being eliminated. So, she spent the break enrolling at university to get a teaching degree. Another friend spent her vacation in Winnipeg at the bedside of her dying mother.

Perhaps what makes patience an elusive concept to define is that it is relative. Perhaps it is one's ability to see the relative importance or unimportance of events in life that determines one's degree of patience with others. For my friend with the tumor, it was more important to her that she was able to visit with her kids from Canada, than it was to complain about her health. For my friend who lost her job, it was more important to find a viable solution to the problem than it was to sit around and complain about unemployment. In my mind, there is nothing more trying than caring for an aging or dying parent.

There will be people smarter and more insightful than I who will delve into the mysterious nature of "patience". For me, I am satisfied to consider it active and/or proactive, whereas a lack of patience is much more passive. In layman's terms, you can sit around and talk about it or you can do something to make the situation better. Perhaps one's ability to call upon their patience depends upon not only the perception of importance of the aggravating situation, but also the amount of experience the person has with difficult situations. Whatever patience is for you, it may be one of those things in life that one can continue to work on to improve.

Comments? mailto:trish-blair@redwoods.edu

We all have two lives;
The one we are given and the one we make.

-Mary Chapin Carpenter-

For people who have worked in education or health care for a protracted period of time, patience is something that must be present in order to survive in the profession. Some days are easier than others to have patience with our students and colleagues. Sometimes the impatience is directed at a person or thing, while other times it is more a situation. Personally, I know that I need to be more patient with people who are what I consider, overly cautious. I also need greater patience when it comes to immigration issues. The lethargic wheels of the INS cause me great impatience.

If you can't think of anything, here are some suggestions that we can all consider.

The good thing is that it could be considered an imposed fitness program. The walk from the parking lot to your office I mean. The last post secondary institution I worked at required a $30.00 per month fee to park at a subway parking lot after which there was a 15-minute subway ride to the campus. Perhaps a 5-10 minute walk in the rain isn't that bad after all.

Whether classified staff or faculty, perhaps all of us can be more patient and understanding of those who are not completely pleased with the outcome of this study.

Change is hard. Being patient and supportive of those who are charged with this task is something many of us can strive toward.