I have so many ideas for new posts and will for sure write those posts, but patience has been on my mind lately. In day to day life as well as while traveling. What made me write this post was just another day here in my hometown Bled when I was walking to the store with my little one in the stroller. There are many zebra crossings in Bled that have no traffic lights, so pedestrians depend on drivers to stop their cars, so they (well, we) can cross the road. Traffic in Bled is heavy during the season and even out of season. So many times I wait long time for someone to stop the car and let me cross. This just keeps on happening and I started to wonder, why. What does it take to stop the car for a pedestrian to cross the road.

And then the road was empty.

So I crossed the road at zebra crossing, just like I should. Suddenly, there were two cars breaking just at the crossing. Both drivers didn’t seem to be happy with me on the crossing. And I didn’t run, I walked. Normally. Well, why is it so difficult to stop? Why not taking enough time for the road? I always stop at the crossings if there are any pedestrians waiting. I actually don’t mind waiting for someone to cross, it just makes me wonder, where has all the patience gone? Everyone is just hurrying, even those that are certainly not in a hurry. It’s not just the roads, similar things happen in shops. So many times I saw people impatiently waiting in line, making comments, why just one cash desk is open.

Yes, we all want to get things done, but being patient makes things easier.

We all must go to the store. So why not enjoy it? We all must wait in line. It really doesn’t take much of our time, so again, why not just enjoy it, even the line. Have a small chat with the seller or a person standing next to you. Time passes faster and nobody complains anymore. A few days ago I was at the doctors with my 14 month old and we waited for almost two hours, even though we were scheduled at a certain time and we arrived half an hour early. Well, we waited. Had coffee, some snacks, had some fun, chats with other waiting people. Oliver was most certainly ok as he was in my lap most of the time. There were a few other people waiting, unhappy with the situation. It was actually just them, who suffered. The doctor and nurses worked hard to get things done and they were extremely friendly and efficient.

I learned a lot of patience while traveling.

Because I used to be impatient too. I didn’t like the lines at the bank, at the shops. Well, I was never really unhappy about it, but still, I was annoyed sometimes. And then I went to India. I realized, how lucky I was. How short the lines in our country are. How fast you can get things done in Slovenia. Compared to India (and many other countries), we live in paradise. In India there aren’t many zebra crossings at all. So pedestrians mostly just try their luck. Don’t ask about the waiting lines at the doctors. Same for shops. So I learned a lot while traveling in India. I learned, I’m not the only one, who wants to get things done. And I also learned that it’s always easier to be patient and make the most of your time. Chat, meet someone new, have some food and coffee, keep a good book close (my first trip to India was before the smart phones).

There’s a lot of impatience in the world of traveling…

I’ve seen it through the years of traveling the world. Travelers expecting something that couldn’t happen in the country where they traveled. It’s mostly about how things are done somewhere. For example, in Madagascar it takes a lot of time to get the food you ordered in the restaurant. Well, it takes a lot of time. So many travellers and even my clients had so many problems with this. Why so slow. I told them, that’s just how they do it. Just enjoy the time and chat with others. There are so many stories. It’s mostly about us, westerners in Asia, Africa, Central or South America. Being impatient about things that are just done differently.

I believe patience is so important.

It makes our lives better. At home or while traveling. Usually things get done faster and easier once everyone involved is patient. That’s just my experience. It’s not easy and we’re just used to living a fast life. Sometimes we can find something quite unexpected when we slow down and start enjoying even the most obvious day-to-day errands.

Thanks for reading,

Ajda