That’s what they say. Patience is a virtue. One I don’t have a lot of.
I have tried to teach myself patience, but I’m not very good at it. I’m just not very good at waiting.
For instance, if I ever win the lottery, I’m outta here. I can’t see me hanging around, waiting for someone to replace me. Which is why I admire Ivan Dubinsky.
Ivan showed up last week to collect his winnings from a Lotto 6/49 draw. He had won one of those guaranteed million dollar draws, so not in the filthy, stinking rich category, but still pretty well off. But he won his prize back in November.
Ivan is a lighthouse keeper who works near Port Hardy, B.C. It’s not the sort of job where you can just take a day off. In fact, he has to buy his lottery tickets online, since there is no nearby store to run to. And it is an important job. So when he got the email that he had won a substantial prize, he just kept his cool and waited. He did what he was supposed to do, keeping boats from crashing into the rocks around him, and waited. He waited for his relief to arrive. Almost two months later.
I’m not sure I could do that. Although it certainly would give you plenty of time to figure out what to do with your newfound wealth. So I guess there would be a certain advantage in not being able to just say, “Later!” and head for the nearest lottery office, never to return.
