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Saturday, September 10, 2016

And the Patience Award Goes to…


Previously I have mentioned what I enjoy doing in my spare time. One of these things is walking in the park. When I want to get away, I put on my headphones and walk while tripping in some land that the music is taking me to.

At other times, I prefer to listen to what is going on around me; like the birds chirping away, the dogs barking, the frogs croaking and the people talking.

There are many times that I catch myself laughing or getting angry at what is being said. Eavesdropping? Maybe, but if it weren´t made to be heard, it wouldn´t be said.

I want to tell you the story of a young boy and his father. I was walking ahead of them because my legs were hurting and it was a really chilly morning. The son, around 16 years of age, was walking ahead of his dad a bit and kept saying `Come on dad. Let´s go. Move it.´ His dad would say funny things like, `Today I am slower than the dogs.´ His son didn´t laugh though, and he asked his father why the dogs were slow today.

As we kept on walking, I caught myself smiling at the questions and answers that were being given. There was one thing that I still haven´t mentioned; this son was mentally impaired. He would repeat every other sentence 3 times. I listened long enough to figure out his pattern. As he walked by each gate in the park he would try to convince his father to go to a specific place near there, for instance; a bakery, a newsstand or a way home. Patiently the father answered each of his questions several times by explaining why they weren´t going to those places. He would ask three times and the father answered three times.

One particular dialogue caught my attention. The son commented that the father wasn´t telling him to shut up today, which made me think that we all go through a dry spell of patience. However, on this particular morning this father deserved an award for being the most relaxed and patient man that I have ever seen.


Written: September 8, 2016 Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion

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