A Little Patience

by Michele Boy | June 5, 2025

It’s a cool, rainy Wednesday morning as I write this column. More rain is forecasted today. As long as tornados and hail stay away, I am good. Praying for protection on all our fields! 
The wheat is ripening quickly. I hope everyone has a safe harvest. 
 We are wrapping up school news. There may be a couple more stories coming but we are certainly close. 
 There is road construction going on at the corner of Highway 50 and North Highway 27. I notice my lack of patience is not impressive. Awareness is the first step, right? 
As my daughter is getting towards the age to drive on the highways and in town, I notice traffic in a different way. Those impatient people can cause accidents. So can the distracted drivers. And what an opportunity for me to look in the mirror and see I am one of the people I get frustrated at. 
   One of my favorite things about rural life is empty roads. I would rather drive farther than sit in traffic. 
Road construction and one lane traffic means I need to slow down, leave my house earlier, take more time, and have patience. 
I have seen a couple of funny memes that I can completely relate to. One said, “The P in my name stands for patience. That’s why it’s not there.” And “The day they handed out patience, I left because it was taking too long.” 
But what am I teaching my daughter. UGH. The truth is “Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work. She is not listening to my words as much anymore but she is watching me. 
  On the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website nhtsa.gov, their statistics show 2,611 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver in 2023. Teen being identifid as 15-18 years of age. 
 We can go on and on and say all we want about THOSE drivers but what about us? Can you say you  have never driven without a seat belt fastened? Have you looked at your phone? Responded to a text message? Did you grab something that fell? Speed because you were running late?
  We are all guilty of at least one of these, maybe more. 
I can’t judge you because I am guilty of it too. And as I watch young drivers get behind the wheel with brains that are still not fully developed, I get more nervous. 
  I hope and pray I am not too late to teach her better habits. I hope and pray that this resonates with someone to teach their teen to slow down, and put the phone away. Maybe it’s not too late for all of us to stop and think. 
 I will say my number one habit for poor driving is impatience because I am running late. What would leaving five to ten minutes earlier look like? 
What if the next time there is road construction, a slower driver, or some obstacle in our way, we take a breath and remember that is someone’s kid? 
Like I said I am guilty. There is no judgment here. The wisdom and experience I have comes from plenty of poor decisions. 

To lose patience is to lose the battle. - Mahatma Gandhi
I guess I better do better. I don’t like to lose. lol.