Virtue Challenge: Patience

This is part 2 of a series.  Part 1 is here.

(Elyse is participating in YALs Virtue Challenge. Last week's virtue was "Patience." She will be posting weekly about her experiences. You will find more about the Virtue Challenge and a linkup of posts here. Elyse is 18 years old. She is a sophomore in college working toward a degree in Microbiology. She assists in the Veil Shop and enjoys reading, writing, and time with friends.)

Week Two: Patience

                So this week I worked on patience. I’m trying to ruminate on this week’s events to find the best example of patience that I experienced. Having class only two days a week doesn’t necessarily proffer many opportunities to seek out particular virtues! Yet at the same time, these virtues suffuse life in every aspect, and when I get down to the nitty-gritty, I notice that the simplest things can be used as examples.

                This week I met a girl in my beginning piano class. (Though I doubt she, or anyone I mention, will ever read this blog, I’ll keep names to myself just for the sake of privacy.) She came in a bit late (to class, and to the entire course) and I offered to let her share my piano for the lesson she had attended. As class progressed, she explained to me about how she was on the waiting list and how none of what we were doing was making any sense of her. I understood this, because without the basics, piano is confusing as heck. Just like any instrument.

                But as class went on, she kept talking. I found it hard to concentrate, and found myself getting lost while trying to be kind and contributory to her and her conversation as well as following the lesson. Then after class she walked with me as I headed down to my car.

                It was then that she explained she had just moved to town, and wasn’t having an easy time making friends. She told me it was difficult for her, because she had moved from a big city and where she now lived was just about opposite from where she was used to. I found out that she was used to being surrounded by people and was voted most talkative in her old yearbook. I could see why—I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. But although it was a little rankling, it was more important to me that I try to be friendly to her because I understood why she was a bit uncomfortable. My only hope now is that she finds some great friends to spend her time with.

By Eeretika (Own work) [CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

- Elyse

Week Three is here:
Flexibility

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Elyse will be linking up her Virtue Challenge posts here:

(You are invited to link up too.)

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