Day 25: Patience

Patience is a virtue. Sometimes, I just need to be patient. The past couple of days have been days when I need to exercise patience with myself, my family, our puppy, but especially myself. Twenty-five days of summer vacation with fifty-seven remaining, they require patience.

There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation,
‘Till school comes along just to end it,
So the annual problem for our generation,
Is finding a good way to spend it
Like maybe…
Bowling for Soup “Today is Gonna be a Great Day

The opening of the song says it all…really there are varying days in my family. For me, I will go back to school on Thursday, August 19 that gives me fifty-seven more days. My kids on the other hand start school on Tuesday, August 24, and so do my students, which gives them sixty-two more days of summer vacation so we have a problem how best to spend it…..So today, we (all of us): attended vacation bible school, got a haircut, cleaned the house, went swimming at the pool, played in a softball game, packed a pack for scout camp, folded laundry, put away folded laundry, wrote a blog, knocked on neighbors doors asking for food pantry donations for VBS, balanced a checkbook, walked the dog, ate too much ice cream – though, I am embarrassed to say how much, and looked up at the moon as I walked Ivy. In fact, I noticed the moon when walking Ivy and saw my shadow. Impressive. It is Waxing Gibbous and it is moving toward a Full Moon on Saturday, June 26. Last year, William learned about the phases of the moon in science class and we all learned about them as well. I have added a ‘widget’ to the blog that shows the moon phase. I look forward to following the moon phases.

Coming up we have William and I at Boy Scout camp at Camp Tesomas north of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, we leave Sunday morning. Beth, Olivia, and Ivy will go to Grayling next week. After scout camp, William and I will travel through Upper Michigan to join them and, hopefully, Grandma and Grandpa Weaver. While we are at the cottage there I hope to rest, relax, and rejuvenate for the coming school year. I know we will be busy with daily activity and hope to have a couple of visitors join us. It is always fun to get away and enjoy the cottage.

Which brings me to patience; we spend almost the entire month of July in Michigan. There is much to do and it is fun. However, I get antsy and want to work on school or read, or catch up on the backlog of the house. During the school year, the activity is frenetic with teaching and other related activities, the kid’s sports and activities, and the upkeep of the house and yard. I just cannot keep up. Then; I create something to add work to my plate, a Blog. Yet though it is an added load, it has helped me this summer stay focused and kept me close to being on track.

Billboards from Foundation for Better Life, like this one, can be seen along highways in the midwest.

The drive to and from the cottage takes us around Lake Michigan, through Grand Rapids, and up the central part of Lower Michigan. It takes six hours if the traffic and the kids are cooperative. We drive the interstate or state highways carved through forests and lined with an occasional billboard. Most advertise a product and some advertise life. My favorites are those created by a group called Foundation for a Better Life. The billboard has a picture of a man, woman, or a team with a short message, a character trait or virtue, followed by a call to action – ‘Pass It On.’ I do not know who is behind the organization, the website they state they are funded privately through an endowment and are not connected to a church or a religious organization. But, their messages are positive and uplifting. In addition to billboards, they have produced commercials and other media. Last year, I shared two commercials with my class: one on patience and the other on honesty. I have linked them and you can watch them if you choose, please let me know what you think. Regardless, I occasionally re-watch the patience video, because sometimes I feel like that man. Working hard on my job and then, someone or something, comes along and makes more work for me and I, well lose it. I need to temper my response and remember patience. I have added another widget to the sidebar courtesy of the Foundation for a Better Life – a daily quote. Please take time to comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

The days are counting. Today screamed by with many tasks, errands, and time spent on good things. Fifty-seven remain; it is all in how they are spent.

One thought on “Day 25: Patience

Thanks for visiting MtDC. How are YOU Making YOUR Days Count?