Life Lessons One-On-One

Not that you should as well, but it’s customary that people ask themselves: What is my purpose in life? And that usually goes hand in hand with ‘What lessons am I here to learn?’. It’s one of those things you don’t really think about unless you are in really good company, preferably with a glass of something in your hand.

So I did. Think about it. In good company or in my own company, which I tend to enjoy more and more as I grow older.

Ok. I don’t know how to go by that. I am trying to think of a way to make this post captivating, all the copywriting rules I learned back when. But I can’t, man, I really can’t! So I am just going to blurt it out.

Patience, man, my lesson in this life is bloody patience.

I must’ve always known, one way or the other, although at first I took it as a joke. ‘Yeah, I got to learn patience so I won’t kill people when they are late for meetings.’
In high school, when my gang would meet, there was a guy who’d always be late. And I am not talking minutes, I am talking hours. Back then, we were just standing there, waiting for them, now we have cell phones.

Naturally I thought that’s only him and life will be full of more serious people. Bazinga! It’s not.

From friends whose late arrival to gatherings I came to accept, to parents who forget to call back, to actual job interviews that don’t happen, to bosses who are always five minutes late to a meeting, life is -not- full of serious trustworthy people. On the contrary.

Discovering the right profession requires patience.

Not finding my way until I was 30 something meant I had to first have a bite of the world, see how it tastes, and then decide what it needs to make it digestible. And that, my friend, I only learnt by (not) being patient. I can’t count the times when I was desperate. Stuck in a job, in a place it felt I had absolutely nothing to do with. And the desperation grew even more when I compared myself with the ones around me. It all made sense for them, so how come it didn’t make sense for me?!

Love is a matter of patience as well.

Yep, I said it. Without going too deep into this, love is waiting. Not that waiting is a guarantee of success. Sometimes you wait forever. Sometimes your wait is rewarded sooner rather than later. Sometimes you get your fair share of fucked up relationships. It all comes down to waiting.

And it’s not only the stuff of Cupid, either. It’s all sorts of love. For example, learning to love a kid who is not your own, or mornings, or your nose for keeping your glasses such good company.

There are so many things I hate, I disapprove of, that I find uncomfortable, sometimes it’s overwhelming. Now, in a moment of wisdom (I am only wise for moments at the time), I’d say that those are just the things waiting to be loved.

Friendship is about waiting for the right moment.

I don’t have many friends, but I have good ones. I am the all-or-nothing kind of person. But the truth is, I am still struggling here. You see, for me it’s natural to be there to support, to advise, to talk. But not all my friends need that particular thing. And waiting for them to get in the grove is my biggest challenge. Sometimes I get pissed off, I say things, I have a beer and a long break. But I usually come back.

Bottom line? Waiting is annoying.

I know it sounds all good, my wisdom moment is apparently lingering, but it’s not. I am not a patient person. I want it all and I want it now. Because I don’t have time for nonsense. Unfortunately, life usually has other plans. And what do I do? I find coping mechanisms, I rant. We’ll see for how long.