Impatient Nation: I Can't Wait For You To Read This

Impatient Nation: I Can't Wait For You To Read This:

Linton Weeks, NPR:

Speaking for many Americans, prolific author Valerie Frankel wrote in the March issue of Self magazine: 'I've always imagined that my impatient nature is a sign of my success — something that all busy, hard-driving, intelligent people share.'

But after melting down emotionally at a sandwich shop and a clothing store, Frankel wondered if her impatience might be 'something more insidious — a bad habit I needed to break, not only for my family but also for the sake of my own well-being.' …

Eight months after her essay was published, she reports: 'Do I still feel impatient? Of course! I still drive in traffic, wait on line and go to the movies. But I have been better about not letting impatient-related rage take over. I no longer fantasize about a slow cashier's head bursting into flame.'

It helps, she says, 'to remember that long lines and bad service are part of ordinary, imperfect life. I'm not special, and therefore, not exempt from daily irritation. Everyone has to deal with it.'

A much-needed reminder for me to slow down, to pause, and even to make the most of inconveniences in my schedule caused by others. In the words of Neal A. Maxwell, someone I consider a mentor, "We are each other's clinical material, and we make a mistake when we disregard that sober fact."