Back to Being Patient

In my role as LMC facilitator, sometimes things don't roll quite the way I'd hoped. Following our snow day on February 1, it took my fellow volunteers a month to come up with a reschedule date. As it turned out, the announcement that the session had been rescheduled for March 7, came out on March 4. In the meantime there was little for me to do except submit dates of my own availability, juggle my workload to preserve that availability, and respond to increasing requests from the class. An earlier version of me might have stepped in with more urgency. But this is simply one of those situations where acceptance and prayer felt like the most productive route. I could probably have influenced things in the short run. Whatever critical thoughts might pass through my mind of others in these situations, it's likely that in their shoes I might do just the same. It's probable that as some point I'll make mistakes. And it's almost certain that people are their own best critic -- until and unless they decide to invite someone else for feedback. These problems are often more minor in the long view than they feel in the short run. The more enduring failure is not in what transpires, but in how we might treat others with disrespect and magnify our own weakness.