I’m not a patient person. When I decide I want something, I want it now. Many times, this is a good thing. Other times, however, this impatience can backfire. In my younger days, I was impulsive and made some decisions that were not always in my best interest.
But, life taught me to curb this impulsivity. Right now, there are certain things in my life that I want to change. Because I’m a driven, organized woman, I’ve set the wheels in motion to bring about that change. The tough part has been waiting for results. I’m not good at this waiting thing.
Technology isn’t helping either. With the ever present smartphones and devices, we’ve come to expect instant reactions and responses. You text someone and the expectation is that you get an answer within the hour. The same goes for email. When you message someone on Facebook or WhatsApp, you can see when the message is read. Then, the waiting begins. Why aren’t I getting a response? I’m getting impatient!
Ah, patience
But patience is such a wonderful characteristic to learn. The payoff is so worth it. Instead of constantly wondering when things will happen, being patient gives me the gift of acceptance. In these moments, I take a step back and just let things be. When a situation is out of my control, all I can do I choose how I’ll react. What I am good at is being proactive. So, for those situations that call for some planning, I plan.
One item in particular has been on my hit list. Lowering my bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. For months I’ve been eating a predominantly plant based diet. I’m determined to lower that damn LDL. This is the positive side of making things happen when I decide I want to change, I take steps to change. Last week, I went to see the doc for my check-up. She was very happy to hear that I had been proactive in changing my diet. So, I said, if I do the blood work this week, I’ll get my results next week. Right? Ah, not so fast! It turns out that she’ll be on vacation until the end of August. Then, in September, I’m travelling for three weeks. This means that I might not get those results until October! What???
I want those results! I want to know what my numbers are. Can you hear the impatience? Yup. This is me, to a “T.” If I want something, I want it now. But, that’s not how life works. You’d figure that after 50+ years, I’d have this figured out.
What to do?
I’ve given this a lot of thought. I realize that it’s not just about lowering those LDL numbers. This whole process became much more than that. It became about changing the way I eat and improving my overall health. Good numbers would just be a huge bonus. I’m going to continue eating my predominantly plant based diet. I’ll get the results when I get them. My getting upset won’t solve anything.
