Are you patient?

You're standing in the express line at the grocery store and the person in front of you has eleven items in the basket. You know because you counted them. And the sign clearly reads, “Express Lane: 10 Items or Less.”

So you decide to do something about it. You tell her that lane 2 is for shoppers with more than ten items. And she just looks at you like, “So what?” or “Who cares?” and turns back around, waiting in line.

And then she pulls out her checkbook and starts writing a dreaded check; dreaded because you know what’s coming next. The check needs the manager's authorization. So the manager is paged. And you wait and wait for him to show up. Finally you decide he must have left the building and then he shows up and approves the check. The person in front of you picks up her groceries, smiles at you, and says, “Goodbye.” And what do you say?

Patience as a theory is great. Patience as a practice is hard.