{"id":1457,"date":"2017-06-21T18:42:06","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T23:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gilcanrun.com\/?p=1457"},"modified":"2017-06-21T18:42:06","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T23:42:06","slug":"putting-in-some-work-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gilcanrun.com\/?p=1457","title":{"rendered":"Putting in some work today"},"content":{"rendered":"

The run went pretty well<\/a>. I had some good conditions, cloud cover, low humidity (relative to what it has been), good temperature. I was able to keep a decent pace through most of the run. Seeing as I was short of where I wanted to be on miles today, I took a turn that sent me up a decent hill at the end, and that’s where I lost steam. It’s ok, I’m still breaking in the new pair, my ankle is still healing, so all in all I’m very pleased.
\nGot back to the family home, washed up, ate a good lunch and then picked up my 16 year-old niece to take her driving. She needs lots of practice. I was fortunate growing up, my paternal grandfather was a truck driver and that he was retired before I was born, when we’d visit on Summer vacations he would set up obstacle courses for me to tackle on his tractor. My father was always teaching me about driving, my sister too. We learned from a very young age, and we got practice too. Given how tiny I was as a child, my grandfather even had blocks I could tie to my shoes so I could reach the pedals on the tractor. I always realized I got a special experience there and it paid off, I passed my driving exam without an error on the first try. I’ve always felt confident behind the wheel and have skills many other drivers do not.
\nThe rest of my family, I believe, takes this experience for granted. My niece did not have this experience. She needs practice, she needs instruction, she needs help. But most of all, she needs patience. It’s not always easy and of course you don’t want 2000 lbs of metal and plastic going out of control, and you certainly don’t want a few thousand dollars of car crashing into things. But today was good, a little stressful for me, and I’m very tired but good. Given that it was her first lesson with me, she did well. I’ve certainly had worse lessons with people in the past.
\nI think in general, apart from lacking humility, many people lack true patience. I have to say I did lose my patience with her when she drove up on a curb as a bus was coming down the lane in the parking lot we were in. Yes, I started her in an empty parking lot. I did lose my patience, I felt bad but she also understood. But she made other mistakes, even if I thought they were silly or due to being inattentive, I stayed patient. How else can someone learn if you’re always jumping on them for the slightest infraction. So I took it easy and just calmly explained what needed to be done. She will learn in time.
\nPatience, humility, these are virtues we should always look for in life. If people aren’t showing them, we should probably steer clear. It doesn’t matter the situation, except one. Ha, of course I’m going to give myself an exemption! Seriously though. when it comes to climate change, we don’t have time for patience, when it comes to direct threats to survival, when you know what needs to be done, you just have to put the plan into action. I think when it comes to survival, particularly of the biodiversity of the planet, then yes patience needs to be foregone.
\nOther than that, in life, equal parts humility and patience are needed. In teaching, in caring, in politics, in science, in art, in every single thing we do. This is the key, this is how we learn to excel. This is how we become the best we can be, and it’s how we bring out the best in those around us. I lack patience sometimes I know, even beyond the instance I’ve excused myself from. My exception there does cover fascists and racists, because they have often exhibited their desire to kill, so survival is an issue there. But with some other forms of ignorance I am less patient than I should be. When people are just plain ignorant, or draw false conclusions, I get too upset sometimes. I need to work on that. But as I always say, our only real job in life is to be a better person than the person we were yesterday.
\n