Passion vs patience

i was thinking the other day about a friend of mine who also happens to be my dentist. she is a very wise woman with 6 grown kids - missions, college, temple marriages and kids. her girls were in my y/w classes when i was a newly wed. i love this lady and her advice and wisdom.

i have observed her many a time under stressful situations and pressure. and many times when i find myself under pressure or ready to blow up i think of this dear friend, amy.

i really pondered this the other morning. this is what i was thinking...

i am a pretty passionate person. so are the italians. and the mexican soap operas. i lived with an italian gal once, for a couple of years. that was passion thru and thru - the yelling and the emotions and the love and the thinking with your heart.

amy has patience. i do not. she is chinese. i am not. she and howard raised 6 kids. i soo am not. but just her way of thinking is different than mine.
case and point:

1. she listens first, she may "gasp" at an alarming statement or situation
i just yell "WHAT" and i don't even think to listen

2. she thinks before she speaks and methodically goes thru a situation before she reacts,
acts, replies
i don't think at all. i just react. with my emotions. i don't ponder first and i wish i did

3. she will talk and engage on a rational level to agree on a solution
i don't know how to talk in a rational format and i tend to over exagerate

so as i thought about this and how i handle things i thought, "maybe i need to hang out with my chinese friends more, maybe i could learn a thing or two, maybe in realizing this - i already have and maybe i just need to learn to apply it. now i'm not saying that italians and mexicans aren't patient. i'm just saying they are passionate. i am passionate. i react with passion and not a lot of patience. does that make sense?

i will give myself credit though and say that i am currently learning how to think before i react. sometimes it's just out of "shock". but i am really making more of an effort to be patient and if i find myself acting like a character in a spanish soap opera ~ i just close my eyes and try to calm down and rethink my reaction. it helps. it's hard being passionate. it's good to have patience.