Grant me patience Lord, but hurry!

I admit it. I am not a very patient person. Not with myself and certainly not with other people. I want things, and people to fit into my timetable, my schedule. Don't these other drivers realize I'm tired & I want to go home? And can't these folks understand that it's time to slow down, take a breath, it's not the end of the world? I'm working on it though. I've been thinking about new friends I've made. I'm fairly open about who I am, what I want in a relationship. I keep walls up with most of the world, but leave doors and windows open for those I want in. And because this is how I choose to conduct interpersonal relationships I find people who keep everything shuttered and locked away frustrating. I don't need open access to every corner of all my friends' lives, but I have some expectation of being met with equal openness. I know it's an unfair expectation. I did not expect my children to walk because I could, or to read at an equal level with me once they mastered the alphabet. It is equally unreasonable of me to expect someone else to respond on my timetable to life's challenges. I still bristle a little when I remember how people responded to me when I was still reeling and sorting out the pain and loss of my first divorce only months after the fact. (In truth, its been 15 years now & sometimes some seemingly minor incident can send me right back there-I just recuperate in minutes now, not days) It made me angry. Sure, they were over the shock of my marriage ending, but I was still living with it day to day. I know, from experience we all recover, move forward and learn at our own paces. So why do I still find myself expecting this friend, or that one, to get over whatever they're dealing with and catch up with me? We are all on a journey together. I can not walk the road for anyone but myself. I may want my chosen companions to keep pace with me, but they may walk slower, or more quickly. They may stumble on stones I stepped over, they may be able to avoid getting scratched by thorns that made me bleed. All any of us can do is keep our eyes fixed on our destination, follow in the footsteps of those who have made trails ahead of us, and be a beacon for those coming behind. Isn't that what Jesus did for us? How often did He take the disciples aside and explain things to them again? They watched Him multiply a small boy's lunch to feed a hungry crowd and only hours later they reacted in fear when a storm threatened their boat. I wonder if He ever shook His head, sighed and wondered it they'd ever get it. But they received the same help we do in the Holy Spirit....is it any wonder one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience? I wonder if these minor inconveniences are in part designed to teach me patience? Are these times when I ought to be listening for the voice of God, passing on His words of encouragement to those coming down the road in my footsteps, instead to trying to hurry them along? God has been infinitely patient with me as I learn and grow, surely I can offer the same grace to the people in my life.