Calm, Cool, Collected and Crocs

We went for a walk after dinner the day before yesterday. The weather was absolutely gorgeous during the day. It was sunny and in the low 70's. We had eaten an early dinner and Joel suggested that we go for a walk. The main purpose was to try out the bunny's (I think after the Poptart incident we have settled on the name S'mores) new harness. Well, let's say that S'mores took to the harness like a cat takes to water. If a bunny could scream the sounds coming from S'mores mouth would have been bloodcurdling.

So, S'mores stayed in the yard but we decided to go ahead as planned. By this time, thanks to the fickle Colorado weather, it was no longer sunny and rather windy. But we forged ahead. We have a really nice walking trail directly behind our house so we set out on that. Most outdoor expeditions in our family end with a trip to the park and so the kids have kind of gotten trained to expect that as the result.

Jocelyn ran up ahead and, of course, that left Carson trying to catch up. He was wearing his Crocs (are there any other kind of shoes?) and doing his best to reach Josie. He trucked along and then his right shoe fell off. He stopped, put it back on and kept going. Then it happened again. And again. And again. ELEVEN times in a 10 minute walk his right shoe came off. Each time he calmly paused to put it back on and then kept going. He was so excited about getting to the park he didn't even seem to notice. He didn't cry, or throw a fit, or ask to be carried. He just kept putting his shoe back on. When we finally reached the park he finally agreed to let us have his shoes because they kept getting those tiny playground rocks in them, but he never complained. He was just so excited to get to play!

Oh, how I wish I had Carson's patience! He didn't let a little thing like his shoe falling off get him down. He just kept doing what he was doing. I can't remember the last time that by the 11th time I had to fix something I wasn't kicking and screaming. In my mind, my shoe should have stayed on the first time I put it on my foot! Or by the 11th time I had to remind my kids of something, or the 11th time I had to pray about the same thing, or the 11th time I had to let someone get in front of me...You get the picture.

Oh, sure, I think I have patience. The first four or five times something happens I am calm, cool and collected. By get to me by the ninth or tenth time something goes wrong and bad things are going to happen man, bad things. Like spitting and screaming and hair-pulling. We often think we are patient but in reality we aren't graceful. True patience is not complaining, but just trucking along. I want to be like Carson, so focused on my goal that I don't have time to complain about the small hindrances life throws in my way. Like missing ingredients to a recipe, or bad weather, or stained laundry. I want to be so focused on my goal that no one would even know that a supposed "bad" thing even registers on my radar. I also want to look that cute in my Crocs...