Patience quietly whispers “Wait,” while Worry tears the door from hinges.
Worry frets - unraveling threads, as Patience sews them all secure.
Patience trusts that good will come. Worry fears to last the night.
Worry tries to see the future. Patience gives her all today.
Patience gently holds poor Worry. Worry bolts from her embrace.
Worry craves what all are thinking. Patience knows a few things well.
Patience honors and adores people, places, living things.
Worry can’t remember when it last saw love in someone’s eyes.
Patience longs to do what’s best. Worry doubts best ever comes.
Worry’s mind is weary worn. Patience yields and feels the calm.
Patience wants to love them all. Worry fears to lose the few.
Worry wants and wants it now. Patience rests in what will pass.
Two sides live and fight within, and each of us must yield to one.
Worry shouts it must be heard, Patience quietly whispers “Wait.”
Wood engraving: “Winding the Distaff”; John William Waterhouse; 1884
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Frank Indiana
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Comments
Thank you for your very kind and generous comment. Your much appreciated contributions to this forum make it all the more meaningful.
Clever idea and brilliant writing!
Considering the experiences your recent posts have chronicled your comment is very much appreciated. Regarding your “secret crush,” I always want to find some witty and winsome way to respond to such undeserved flattery but usually end up sounding more like Hannibal Lecter.
Frank,
That was a beautiful comment. And one I can relate to easily. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Lorraine,
You are welcome, of course - though you hardly need the advice offered in this doggerel piece ;)
Patience is a virtue that we have lost. I have been thinking about it lately, thank you. This is very timely and well said.
Thank you very much for such a kind remark. May I please copy the “brilliant writing” part to offer in my defense when I am accused by friends, family, and perfect strangers of the exact opposite?
Thank you. Your comment was very thoughtful. Patience really is a virtue. That is why, perhaps, I have such a hard time attaining it.
Dennis, this is just wonderful. I read it three times, each more slowly than the last. Maybe I"m in an ideal frame of mind to take it in - I am having a rare sick day, after being up all night. Started the morning thinking of all I had to do, and how I just don't know how I'll find the energy. Now I'm not going to worry. Thanks so much.
Dennis!
Patience cries, "Ouch, hey, that hurts," then brief muffled noises are heard, receding, then the sound of Worry's voice, but chuckling briefly, smugly, and finally just expectant but relentless silence, broken only occasionally by sounds of Worry, no longer balanced or rebutted by Patience, and yet neither comforted an Iota by her absence.
Actually that was Hannibal’s line :)
Sandra,
You’ve touched on my hope when posting anything, but especially prose. If you nail that not worrying thing down please let me know how. Thank you for your kind comments.
Gary,
Thank you sir for stopping by to offer your encouraging comment.
femme forte,
Thank you for such a kind reply. Truth be told I’m still reading it too.
I wish like heck I had your mind sometimes. But that would mean you’d have mine if we traded and no way I’d do that to a friend. I smiled at your infusion of current events into the piece. I also smiled thinking of how many times my “pendulum apparatus” breaks when it is least convenient. Thanks so much for your reply.
Stacey,
Receiving any sort of encouragement from the Paxton Pundit is an honor to me. Thank you very much.
Rated
Thank you for your kind comment. I believe you’ll find that most of us here are far better acquainted with the more aggravating of the twins than we are with the virtuous one.
Thank you for your kind remarks and for your usual willingness to allow your own life to make a fine point. It’s odd how many of us struggle with patience when in reality we really can’t hurry up the things we want most to hurry up at all.
I often feel like the impatient guy who broke his foot kicking the bus bench because the bus was late. Guess he showed that danged bus.
Thank you for your generous comments. I’m pretty sure most of us would make the same honest confession you have.
I’m sorry I missed your kind comment. Thank you for such a generous remark.