In a world where we now hurry up and wait, it is often difficult for many to sit back and watch things unfold. The internet, the largest innovative disrupter in history, changed the face of the world. From conducting business and customer relations to education and food services, every factor of the world changed in a flash. The need for business men to travel for weeks at a time became less and less, as skype, facetime, Google hangout, and a plethora of digital media service companies made it possible to conduct serious meeting all in a moments notice in front of a computer screen. Customer relations firms set up camp and reduced the need for companies to have internal employees, as the the digital world opened up the international business of training customer service reps. We all know the frustrations of hearing the delayed voices on the calls or typing in the customer service IM windows, but never the less the world changed. Of course food services changed and fewer jobs were needed in the food services industry because with the touch of a hand on a screen timers could be set, orders could be taken, and meals delivered by fewer employees. The face of education changed with the internet as research could be completed at the stroke of one’s finger tips, rather than laborious hours in the library. The internet brought about this need and hunger for immediate gratification reducing the patience of the people as a whole.

This refusal to be patience is interwoven in everyday life. From day one babies are given toys which have some sort of action reaction button. A mobile which lights up or plays music upon their voice activation. A sword with a button which makes the swoosh noise as they swing away. Even better, a toothbrush which plays sounds for three minutes to time them while brushing their gritty little teeth. As adults, we wait patiently for the release day of venue tickets, and press the buttons immediately upon the box office opening, to get our chance at the next latest and greatest activity. We build our next vehicle online and email a salesperson before stepping on the car lot for our purchase. Even applying for jobs has turned into digital prescreening before any interview takes place.  Even sixteen year olds applying to McDonalds’s must apply online and hope for a callback. Gone are the days of face to face meetings. Each of these situations breeds an anxiety and lack of patience because while we feel in control behind the computer the hurry up and wait game drives into our very core.

This brings me to my present situation. I have always played it safe. I studied Sunday through Thursday in college. I let loose only on Friday and Saturday, unless something pressing in my academic career put things off. I began teaching and poured my heart and soul into lesson and unit design, because back in the day we were all pioneers testing out new limits before the innovative disputer changed the face of education. Working in video production and post production for twenty years between teaching gigs, we wrote scripts and contracts and patiently waited for clients to respond back. We did not have the luxury of email for many years and this slowed the pace down a bit. Arriving back at teaching, and being tech savoy, I am the innovative disrupter in my school. I lose patience with those who stay behind in the 19th and 20th centuries of educational paradigms. It blows my mind when a teacher wastes more resources printing then the library of congress. However, I have no choices but to bite my lip, and slowly creep in, changing the ideas, similar to the Gates and Jobs in a world with stubborn heel trenchers.

This ramble began because I too suffer some loss with the changing of the guard, with regards to my new chosen path. My deepest admiration goes out to the frontiers before me in this indie author’s world. I know just enough to make myself dangerous and not enough which kills the process. This journey began exactly one year ago when I completed my Masters program. My children, grown enough to be helpful, needed less from me. My husband taking on two new business partnerships, and me, sitting and wondering what do I do next? I had ideas swirling around in my head and was involved in a national writing project associated with my teaching job. My writing group encouraged me to write my first work. While I am grateful to everyone, I completed the piece over about seven months and it sits on the back burner, until now. I have come to my crossroads, and the waterfall is pounding down upon me, as I figure out my road less traveled. Reflecting this morning, and sending out more emails and IM’s to well respected folks on my path and new journey, I recognize the need for regaining my patience and remembering this waterfall will continue pouring down, even when I am gathering myself together. Patience needs to be the foremost characteristic I take with me on this new road.