Impatiently Patient

When you think about it, life is really just a series of experiences on a day-by-day basis. We get caught up in thinking about the future and past, but it's all kind of like a big wave on the ocean—no matter what, it just keeps rolling on, moment by moment.

And those moments are filled with things we enjoy and things we don't so much. As the wave rolls along, I have a tendency to be totally impatient about some things and very very patient about others (as I'm sure most of us are). If it's something that's a necessity, I just want to get it done. But if it's something I want to do, I can put up with all kinds of irritants.

Things that don't wait around:

the weather...

Cassie...

and rapids.

For example, I have a tendency to not backup my photos. It would only take a few minutes if I were to do it each time I downloaded a new batch, but I hate doing it. I'd rather be fiddling around, like checking out the local weather on the internet. Consequently, I wait until it's a real chore, maybe with thousands of photos, before I panic and get to it.

I waited and waited and was about to give up when the clouds suddenly opened and revealed new snow on the La Sals—then quickly covered everything back up like a big fluffy comforter.

Maybe this is human nature, I don't know. Maybe it's called procrastination and has all kinds of psychological theories behind it, but I think (in my case anyway) it's just laziness and denial (it won't crash...).

I'm also not much of a cook, as it's just a means to an end for me, I'm not into the process. When I'm hungry, I just want to eat. I generally have the time to cook, but not the will. Rather than be prime bait for fast-food joints, I try to eat things that are easy to fix and give instant gratification, like salads—or cheese and crackers, which are even faster—or better yet, milkshakes.

But I can patiently wait around for hours for a chance at a good photo. Go figure.

I waited quite awhile for the moon to get itself comfortably situated on what I call Teapot Rock, out of Moab.