Patience: A Virtue Worth Waiting For

So often I've jumped head long into situations I soon came to regret.  The older I get the better I am at not doing this fortunately.  When I was a teenager, I was positive my parents had no clue what they were talking about and I took it upon myself to consistently prove them right.  They patiently let me make the mistakes I needed to in order to grow emotionally and mature into a wiser woman (I hope!)  Patience has never been a quality I thought that I naturally possessed.  In reality, I think that, like any talent, it must be cultivated.  (Practice makes perfect, right?)  I can't recall how many times I've prayed for patience, only to find out that in return I didn't miraculously receive an instant gift for patience, but rather, more opportunities to practice it.  With that realization in hand, and a certain amount of submission on my part, I've found a new feeling and state of being that suits me well--Peace.