September 29

The Mother Ship gave me an extraordinarily hot cup of coffee this morning. I left the lid off for a while with the hope that exposure outside air would cool it down, but I didn't wait long enough and the first sip still burned my tongue.

Less than amused by the unpleasant sensation, I put the cup back on the table and decided to wait a bit longer for attempt number two. 

And while I did, I watched the steam rise from the surface of that hot liquid. I really, really wanted to take another sip, but I knew that I had to be patient or I'd get burned all over again.

Fortunately, the steam eventually dissipated, signaling that it was probably safe to try again so I did. And the coffee was its usual tasty self. 

How many times do we dive into something that's not ready for us (or that we're not ready for) only to wind up hurt? If we're honest about it, the answer is probably "lots". So this was a good reminder that patience is indeed a valuable virtue that can often save us from unnecessary pain.