Nerves, patience and speaking your mind

In case you don't already know this or haven't figured it out yet then let me enlighten you. As you grow older and reach mid life (at least in my case anyway) patience is not something you have as much of anymore. Whether it be patience about the local dog catcher picking up your dog (as happened to me the other day), patience for waiting on the local cable repairman (who never comes the day he is scheduled), patience that you will get your "to do" list done, Patience while standing in line at the local grocery store while the checker carries on an entire life conversation to the customer in front of you or patience that your family will finally start picking up after themselves and also patience with your children for various reasons.

Nerves (or lack thereof) is also something that seems to fly out the window when you hit mid life. Every little thing seems to get on your nerves. Whether it be the child at a restaurant crying continually next to you and interrupting your only outing for the month, the stereo playing loudly (or even quietly sometimes) from the upstairs bedroom, or the TV droning an incessant continual noise in the background. All and anything gets on your nerves some days.

You also reach a point in mid life (once more at least in my case) that you finally, finally get to speak what is actually on your mind. This seems to coincide with the loss of your patience and your nerves. Where once you kept your mouth shut for fear of "hurting someones feelings" or "making a scene" don't worry about it anymore. Who really cares? You can finally be YOU. If you don't like something, then by golly say you don't. If something is getting on your nerves then Say It. If you don't want to be your child's homeroom sponsor at school, then don't do it. There are many things you don't really want to do but still you have this nagging thought in your head that you have to. You don't have to do or say anything you don't want to. You have earned this right.

By being you and saying exactly what you feel you have deleted some stress in your life. Oh I know what your thinking here, I don't want to hurt any one's feelings, I don't want to upset someone, I have to keep things to myself. Who are you helping? Certainly not yourself.

A very wise woman once told me "Saying NO is one of the most powerful words in the English language and we need to learn to say it more".

Thank you mother for allowing and providing me with such wonderful insight.