be more patient with people who annoy me

I think I need to go back home,go to bed,wake up and start again. I was actually fine until I got to work. If this day is any kind of pre-cursor to what the week will be like…......oh my…......
I have come to the realization however that shaking my head and walking away in silent frustration does not count as having more patience.
I think I’m going to go out for lunch….....alone….....I need some fresh air

Boy did I struggle with this one today!

People here at work know that the things at my desk are free for them to use as long as they ask first and then return it within a reasonable time frame. Never had any problems other than the occasional missing pen or highliter.
About a week ago however I was busy working on something and while another friend stood talking to me as I worked somebody popped their head around the corner and asked if they could borrow my nail file. No problem, I said “sure” and without looking up from my work I picked it up and held it out for them to take. All along my other friend was still talking to me.
well I never thought anything more of it…...until today when I needed it.
I looked in the usual place I keep it and it wasn’t there…so I looked all over and it was nowhere to be found. Now I am a severe creature of habit when it comes to certain things. So I sat and thought about where it could possibly be b/c I always put it back where I keep it. That’s when I remembered that sombody had borrowed it. Since I didn’t look up to see who it was I had nothing to draw from as to where to track it down….so I called my friend and asked if she remembered who asked….nope. So I sent out a very polite email to the office asking whomever borrowed it to please return it. Then I waited…......nothing…......so I waited some more….still nothing….....
sigh......as stupid as it may sound this was such an irritant to me today. First of all there is the basic issue of manners. If you borrow something, you use it then return it to it’s owner immediately, you don’t keep it and adopt it as your own. Second,if somebody askes about something you borrowed you either give it back and admit that you forgot,or lost it or damaged it in which case you offer to replace it and that’s the end of it no problem…..but you do not hide like a coward and ignore them. Third, you don’t just leave a Southern woman….any woman for that matter, without her nail file!! That’s just wrong....
sigh
Soooo I am still battling the irritation of this one.
Just fess up…it’s no big deal…I won’t be angry if something happened to it, it’s a .99 cent nail file for heaven’s sake that I can easily replace,no big deal…but have manners people. What ever happened to just basic manners? Geez…....

messed up again…....the other night a telemarketer called. He was a young kid…..probably in college….he was calling from a charity we have given to in the past. It was Sunday night and we were going out. I’m very guarded about my personal time because I really get so little of it. Business calls and such are not allowed in that space for me b/c it’s just too easy to let it encroach into your personal life to the extent that you HAVE no personal life.
This poor kid though…..he called at about 8 in the evening on Sunday night and I just lost my patience completely with him. Told himt hat they call too much (which they do) and that they are rude to call at such hours on the weekends and to permanently remove us from their calling list. Poor kid didn’t know what to say so he just apologized and i hung up on him.
*SIGH*
In all honesty I felt so bad afterwards I cried. I was soooo out of line. He’s just a poor kid that got stuck with a crappy job and probably gets yelled at all the time by people for something his bosses tell him to do so that he can make just enough money to scrape by. :( Dang…...this is why I need this goal more than ever!!!! I set SUCH a poor example that night.
Well…......I can only beat myself up so much,what’s done is done…...
I have to take the lesson to heart to ALWAYS be gracious and kind no matter what I’m feeling inside and hope that next time I have more mercy in the moment.

Hmmmmmmm…...........I actually did well today. They were coming at me from all angles,I was batting ‘em down like flies man!!!!! It was like all of them had either hit the mental “pause” button till Monday OR they were just testing me to see how long it would take for my eye to start twitching and my letter opener to change to a more threatening position in my hand!!! I know what they were up to….I could see the warped deviance in their eyes…no human could be that stupid…it’s just not physically possible!!!
I handled it though,I corrected their mistakes,I re-created master documents to a more simple version that could be understood by pre-schoolers,I calmly explained to customers,customer service reps,sales reps,billing clerks and other collection officers how to do the same things we always do and have done for the past 20+ years….but in a more simple way now so they can understand better. Miraculously…...I did it all with a smile and a calm voice…..sigh.....either a freak of nature….or I’ve actually made progress on this goal.
Time will tell…but till I know for sure the letter opener will be in a locked cabinet….just in case. ;p

Well…....I was doing pretty good until I encountered a brick wall of stupidity…....sigh.........I refuse to give up though…...I CAN conquer this goal….....I know I can…........unless I feel the need to smack somebody…...oh boy…....this is gonna be a tough one

One of my worst traits is a lack of patience with people who I consider idiots or at least temporarily behaving like idiots. I’m IMMENSLY patient with lots of people and in lots of frustrating and/or tense and stressful situations but this is definitely a weakness for me. My husband is soooooooo good with people like this. It takes a lot to irritate him. (probably a blessing I’m sure) He’s especially good with people with ADHD and that is by FAR my WEAKEST area. He just takes the time to listen and encourage them while I’m sitting in the background wondering if there is a way I could legally use a stun gun on them. sigh.......I have to perfect this area because in the past few years we have suddenly become SURROUNDED by people who irritate the fluff out of me!! I’m normally such a sweet and nice person too(honest I am even though this goal doesn’t make me seem like it)and these people just get drawn to my husband and I and after about 5 minutes(if I can make it that long) I want to tie them up with duct tape and lock them in a closet! NOT exactly an endearing quality to have and CERTAINLY not a merciful one…..so that’s my goal. Become patient with people who annoy me.