Has Anyone Seen My Patience?

I am usually a very patient person. I work with children, for crying out loud! And I used to work with children with disabilities - you don't do that without patience. I can usually sit quietly in traffic for as long as I need to before it's my turn to go. If I make a phone call and leave a message, I'm usually patient enough to wait for you to call me back. Granted, I lose my patience with Brian far too often for no reason and let him know about it. That's probably because I know it's safe and he won't get too mad. Not good, but that's why. By and large, patience is my middle name.

Lately, however, I seem to be surrounded by slow people. Everyone I've been waited on at stores lately? Turtles. Traffic around town? Slower than cold molasses. The cat laying (lying?) in front of the fridge? Immovable. Why will no one move faster than slow motion?! For crying out loud, people, get the lead out! Get on the good foot! Move it! Ugh!

Remember when you got your first retail job (come on, we've all had them) or your first job waiting tables? And your boss told you how important it was to get customers through the line and on their way in a timely fashion? Yeah, at some point that became secondary to taking your sweet time.

Okay, little tirade over. I feel better. And I'm happy to report that I haven't lost my temper in a line yet, or snapped at some poor, minimum wage employee. But I have come very close. If anyone has seen my patience, please send it back home.