The Word of the Day is Patience

COVID-19 has introduced to me some alternate forms of patience over the past few months. I thought I was already quite a patient person, but I’ve learned that I was only good in certain forms, like waiting for people to catch up to my brilliance, or waiting in a check-out line. Now there’s more. No problem. But I’ve been noticing and classifying them lately.

1. Waiting in lines. Waiting in line to get in to a store is new. And the tape marking out the six feet to accommodate physical distancing. I’ve only done this at the grocery store, but I’ve seen it at retail establishments and insurance offices as well. I’ve seen a multi-practice health office that needs to initiate it so people know where to stand – they have been just spaced willy-nilly on the sidewalk in front of the storefront and I have to go into the street to avoid them. I haven’t been standing in very many of these lines since I decided to start getting my groceries delivered.
2. Waiting for packages and groceries to be delivered. I’ve been getting a lot of things delivered, both groceries and miscellaneous goods. Patience on the day of delivery, because the window for delivery isn’t usually specific; but also patience due to delays due to COVID-19 issues and volumes! I’ve decided not to worry how long it takes for my new stuff to get to me: as a result it’s always sooner than I expected.
3. Sometimes on my walks here and about I have to stop and wait for another pedestrian to pass when there’s not enough room on the sidewalk, or wherever, to keep distanced. This is sometimes because of a huge holly bush growing out in the way. I wait because holly is hurty if you get too close. Or sometimes there’s too many people approaching me, and a wait for there to be enough room for me to walk past. I sometimes feign patience in this case, becuase people don’t always pay attention when they are out and about, and it seems like they don’t notice I’m there, resulting in me being (very minorly) inconvenienced. This is where I think of Dr. Bonnie Henry’s “Be Kind” advice.
4. Patience waiting for a vaccine/cure/treatment. This is some big picture patience, but that’s what we’re all waiting for.

I went out last night. On the advice of the guys at the car repair place, I went out when it was dark to check if there were any lights on in my car that may be the source of battery drain. I did that and I think it was the latest I’ve been out of the house for a long while. The week before the lockdown, I would have been going to dance classes, and some of those kept me out until 7:30 or 8 or so. I was supposed to go to the ballet on March 13, but that was cancelled. On Feb 29 (leap year day) I went to Vancouver to watch Dear Evan Hanson with Julie in Vancouver. I went to Vancouver and back in the same day, so I would have been home around 10 or 10:30. I was only out late last night because that’s how long it takes to get dark in the summer.