A Lesson in Patience
It’s late on a Saturday evening. The sun is quietly setting behind the apartment building across the street, in a sky filled with color. It’s still warm, and there’s barely a breeze. Sitting on my balcony, I gaze at that little oasis of calm, until, to my dismay, my buzzing phone lets me know someone has sent me a message. A withdrawal from one of the athletes for tomorrow’s competition.
I’m this close to chucking my phone straight off the third-floor balcony. Dropping out of a competition this late is already frustrating, but it becomes truly annoying when it also leaves the rest of a team hanging.
Grumbling, I read the message. Instead of smashing my phone on the pavement, I shove it back into my pocket. I need a moment to think about how I’m going to respond. My first thought: "Screw you." Ruining the rest of my evening and setting me up for a sleepless night with a stunt like that? Handle your own withdrawal. I’m not lifting a finger to clean up this mess.
But yeah, professionalism, right? So I start drafting a more appropriate reply. In my head, I’m already going through a list with the rest of the athletes in the group. Who could step in, so the team can still compete? Who can I message this late, or maybe even give a call?
A solution begins to take shape in my mind, and I’m just about to set the whole chain in motion when a new notification pops up on my screen. A message from the same athlete who had just dropped out. Turns out, they had already thought about a replacement, communication behind the scenes had already started, and someone had just agreed to fill in.
Sometimes, complex problems sort themselves out, if you just give them a little time.