My 2¢: Our Misplaced Patience

the start of the line

Before I proceed, I would like to categorically state that we love Krispy Kreme!

Last night my family and I went to a mall nearby for a quick dinner. When we arrived at the mall we were surprised with a long queue for the Krispy Kreme stall.

The line immediately caught our attention. The queue was so long that it ran a loop going back to the Krispy Kreme stall. We heard by asking the people toeing the line that the famous doughnut company made a promo announcement at their Facebook site for a discounted price tag on their original glazed product (Krispy Kreme just celebrated their 77th birthday by treating their fans half a dozen doughnuts for only Php77).

As I have read the comments on the local Krispy Kreme Facebook page, majority of them were happy that they got a dozen doughnuts for a cheap fare. But there were some who went to fall in line yet at the end they got nothing. Some complained that the stock ran out quickly. And there were others who complained of unequal treatment as there were people who got special treatments from store managers.

But I have a different take on the situation yesterday.

the long queue

When we saw the people lined up for the doughnuts, we were amazed at the patience these people had with the long line they have to endure just to get 6 or 12 doughnuts. When we got to the mall, it was already past 6 in the evening and the promo only runs until 7. The line was still long when we decided to go home.

But there's another thing that I realized with the queue of people last night. There are times that we have misplaced patience, just like we have misplaced priorities. There might be many reasons for falling in line for 6 or so doughnuts. Some might be good, like, treating friends or family to the sugary sweet delight. Some might be bad, like, I just want to eat more of these doughnuts.

Regardless of the reason, we can fairly observe that there were instances in our lives that we don't practice the same level of patience. There were times, the motivation, or the lack of it, is selfish.

They say that the good things in life come to those who are willing to wait. The good things do not only include doughnuts and other sweet goodies. The first description that a famous verse about love in the Bible used the word "patient" (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Apostle who wrote these words encourages the people to apply patience in their relationships, especially if they claim that they love that person. Can we not apply the same amount of patience on some other things?

Even as I was typing this entry, my daughter was demanding that I hand over a coloring book that her grandmother had just given her early this morning. I asked her if she can wait until I finish the entry first then I can give it to her. But she answered me with a negative. She wants to have it now.

Impatience starts early with my daughter, I guess. But it's not yet too late to teach her to wait for things.