My niece, who loved books growing up, fell in love with a children's book series called AlphaPets.
From a child's point of view, the books were interesting because the characters were animals, whose names corresponded to a particular letter, with a description also starting with the same letter.
So, there was Albert the Absent-minded Alligator, Delilah the Demanding Duck, Katy the Kind Koala, Queenie the Quiet Quail, and Ziggy the Zippy Zebra, among others.
From a parents' or caregiver's point of view, the books were wonderful because the stories always had a lesson, and authors made sure to incorporate as many words beginning with the same letter as the animal featured.
It wasn't only my niece who loved the AlphaPets series but her older brothers as well. And since they weren't very long stories, these were easy to read. And we adults were equally entertained by the books and the characters.
My late sister and I had made it our mission to keep searching for all the books in the series, and I think we completed, or nearly completed, the set.
I know the only bookstore to carry these titles was Books for Less, and we will always be eternally grateful to them.
Values and character are often the lessons presented in each of the 26 stories.
One virtue that has made a mark on us adult readers is patience. And this is perfectly discussed in Ivy the Iguana's story.
The character is aptly named Ivy the Impatient Iguana and her story's title is "Ivy Can't Wait."
After reading Ivy's book, it became a joke that anyone in the house who behaved like the character would be addressed as Ivy the Impatient Iguana.
Later, when they grew older this was shortened to Ivy the Iguana and they would know what this meant.
Often, the moniker would annoy whoever was being referred to and will remind the kids about the need for patience.
The world in a snap
Automation, instant, convenience are today's bywords. Life has increasingly become a terrible rat race. If something can't be had at a snap of a finger, then it's no good.
Dinner is a phone call away. Shopping can be accomplished online with a few swipes on a cellphone and a few days wait for the delivery. There's instant coffee, instant noodles, instant soup.
A home can be built in a day. Diagnostic tests will have results in a few hours. And why waste time cooking when you can drop by a restaurant from work and eat?
This way of life may have slowed down a teeny bit at the height of the pandemic, but as things return to normal little by little, people are back to the feverish pace with which they live their lives.
And since everyone is so used to the convenience of just pushing a button for most everything they need, when something goes awry they're always caught off-guard and don't know what to do.
My eldest nephew is the star Ivy at this time. He expects most things to be done instantly. If things don't happen when or how he expects them, the young man gets frustrated big time and either gives up or gets into a bad snit.
On the flipside, if he can take as many shortcuts as possible to accomplish a task he will do so, never mind if in the end, it takes twice as long to get things done as he wants them. Waiting just isn't his strong suit.
Lately I've found I have little tolerance for people who don't take service to heart, even if it is their job. I'm acting a little like Ivy during such instances..
As hard as it is to admit, my patience tank is running lower as I grow older.
When I was younger, I had stores of patience for most everything and everyone. I could let many things slide even if I had to wait for hours to get it or it took many steps to complete them.
I didn't mind a 10-step process to do a task properly and present an excellent output instead of using hacks to work it out.
More patience
As I write this, we are being asked to be more patient with the continuing COVID pandemic.
Stay at home and wait till it's safe to go out and do all normal things as before.
Wait for the vaccine.
Wait for the economy to perk up again.
When things still aren't going right after more than a year, patience tends to run low and people are either skeptical about promises or only have a tiny ounce of trust for those in authority as they continue to bumble their way through all this.
While I'm not overly excited about the coming presidential elections because there are more pressing matters to manage instead of political maneuverings, I am looking forward to having someone who can give dignity and respect to the office they will serve.
And my patience is really running dry with all the political bickerings, which are magnified in social media and other online platforms, made worse by bashers, trolls and whatever else you call online ghouls.
Ivy the Impatient Iguana isn't really a favorite among AlphaPets, but I can relate to her when I see all that's happening around the world today, and I pray I won't have to be as impatient as she.
All photos are original
May i say, i feel you? Anyway, i was reminded to find and store books for my children. A while ago i dropped by the bookstore but cant decide what to buy. I now have instant suggestion. Thanks!