Patience & Fury

I stole this image and quote from my friend, Jenny. Having studied John Dryden in college, this quote conjured up so many past thoughts and emotions that caused me to really study myself.

One of the reasons I really like Jenny's Words of Wisdom section on her blog is because she picks some great words to live by and I feel her stories and artwork can back up several of these quotes. I concluded that I really like surrounding myself with wise people. And here's the thing: wise people always know exactly the right words to say; and if they aren't their own, they can point you in the direction of someone else who said it best. Thank you Jenny for sharing this.

Many of you may have guessed, I am a very patient person. It is one of my finer qualities and I pride myself on my ability to not be fast to anger. The worst part about being furious for me, is that I rarely feel good after boiling over. There is power in patience; it shows restraint, it shows inner strength. And yes, there can be power in fury, but how often is that positive?

Dryden is warning us against testing those who have skillfully held their tongue and temper. Pick your battles. Measure your words. Because in the end, they are all we leave behind. All we have to cling to are those words of comfort/hope/wisdom. And those words become the yardstick for which other experiences/feelings are measured.

I hope that I leave behind some wise morsels and I pray for the strength to keep my patience. After all, no one wants to leave behind a strain of ill-timed, ill-mannered, half-thought-out expletives and phrases. We are only so much time, so many words, and so many chances to say the right ones. Let's make them count.