Patience

I am learning patience. It seems I have always been learning patience. Is it a lifelong quest or do some learn it more quickly than others.

What is teaching me this patience? Its our impending move to Italy. Its hard to understand how a modest amount of paperwork can take soooooo long to complete.

This is the timeline as I have perceived it:

June - Katrina visits Italy and comes home with the idea that maybe she (we) should apply for the job in Italy. We could move as soon as October. We do a marathon weekend of research and decide to apply. Applications should be due by the end of June.

July - Applications are due on the 11th and interviews will probably happen in a week or two. We are still thinking a move could take place in October. Katrina finally interviews in late July. A decision should be made by the end of July.

August - A final decision is not made until a week or two into August. Katrina gets one of the two positions. We are not looking at a potential November move date. We go on our cruise thinking that the paperwork process will begin while we are gone.

September - We arrive home from our cruise on the 1st of the month to find that no paperwork has been started. Our benefits package and a budget must be approved. I believe we are still looking at a November move date but Katrina begins to talk about mid December to early January.

October - Paperwork is being 'officially' translated into Italian before it can be 'legalized' by the Italian consulate in Portland then mailed to Italy for processing. The benefits package has been agreed upon but the budget approval for the move is still pending. I've now come to the realization that Katrina may be right. She now thinks that the move will take place in January at the earliest.

Patience. It's sometimes a difficult thing to grasp. Katrina tells me that this is just a beginners lesson for living in Italy, where daily life moves at a much slower pace.