Some days are so strange I feel as if the grandkids of Candid Camera’s Alan Funt and Ashton Kutcher have combined forces. They are hiding ready to jump out at any moment, shove release forms in my face, admit they’ve been following me with hidden cameras claiming they are sure this is going to make for great footage. It’s like living out choreographed mishaps.

Honestly, I think there are times life does it’s very best to try my patience just to see how I’ll react. It may take a couple of frustrating circumstances before I finally hit myself on the forehead and recognize I’m being tested. Then the challenge is on. Who is going to come out on top; me or the exasperating debris real life throws?

Patience is a revered, coveted virtue. I don’t mean covet like 10th Commandment covet, just an extreme want. How lovely it would be to always smile and stay in control. Every morning I have the fullest intention of doing just that. But I have to get out of bed and face the world and that’s when things change. The problem with patience is you have to go through crazy aggravations to develop it. If everything was always smooth you would never know if you had any.

We were almost to the airport yesterday when we noticed a man right on our bumper. Jim was going the speed limit so when he honked we thought something might be wrong with our car. Suddenly the guy sped around us frantically waving his middle finger as if to say I REALLY MEAN THIS! Jim and I just looked at each other and laughed. I was glad to see he didn’t have a Jesus Is My Co-Pilot bumper sticker.

Ironically, he was in line behind me at the ticket counter and security check point where he had to wait again. Clearly his anger and impatience had nothing to do with Jim’s driving because he was short with everyone. I was tempted to tell him I was writing an article on impatience and ask him if he would be willing to let me interview him. I wondered if he was a disgruntled postal worker, so I decided to drop the idea of the pretend article.

So if your day gets a little dicey and you find yourself on the edge of a meltdown, remember patience has to be developed, face your trials head on with as much grace as you can, and there’s always the possibility that Ashton Kutcher or the Candid Camera crew could be hiding around the next corner.