Patience

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We’re babysitting our daughter’s cat for the next few weeks. The cat wanders around the house looking for our daughter, stares out windows, and meows for her at odd times. She’s restless waiting for her caretaker to return.

What do you do when you’re waiting for someone or something? Is patience easy or difficult for you?

I find I have an easier time being patient now that I have more control over my time. When I was working full time with three teenagers, my time was precious and limited. I became impatient when I was stopped at a train crossing during my commute, or by a long line in the grocery store, or when my doctor/dentist/mechanic was running late.

“Patience is a virtue”—a phrase first uttered by a 14th century poet, means to wait for something without becoming anxious or rash. Another way to look at it is suffering without complaint. Patience is a learned skill.

I find it easier to be more patient with people as I age. Maybe it’s because I have more control over my time, or maybe it’s because I realize now that anxiety won’t change the situation. I’ve gained a lot of experience with patience through the writing and publishing process. I won honorable mention in a local literary contest last spring. The volume was to be released in September. Due to extenuating circumstances, the release was delayed until Christmas. It is now further delayed and is projected to be released in winter 2026. I’m challenged by this particular delay because I believe the piece I wrote is my best writing to date. I wrote the piece after taking a graduate level course on the structure of a sentence, and I used those new skills to expound upon the characters’ emotions in the story.

I’ve also queried my full manuscript and am waiting for acceptance or rejection. If you’ve ever queried an agent or publisher, you know how much patience this can take.

I had a conversation with a fellow writer recently, and we commiserated about the gaps of time in between writing and publishing. I’ve chosen to combat the anxiety of waiting with classes and books toward improving my craft. There’s so much to learn, and when you’re in a writing groove, it’s easy to push the learning opportunities aside.

I took a break from large manuscripts in 2025 and published three short stories in anthologies with NicoleFrailBooks.

I’ve returned to a new manuscript in 2026 and am attempting to follow my outline and not let the characters derail the plot too much. I hope to share some progress on this project soon.

In the meantime, stay safe and keep reading.