I grew up VT style, where the virtues of patience were constantly extolled. We waited for recess, we waited for snow, we waited Santa, and we waited for summer. 'It's something to look forward to,' was the cheerful and infuriating parental explanation.As adults, we continue to wait - in long lines, sometimes - to exercise our right to vote. Run afoul of the law, and we have the right to a jury trial, but in the meantime we may wait in jail. Even in church, we're instructed to wait for the Second Coming not with surly impatience, but with joyful hope.
With all the practice we get, you'd think we'd be better at waiting, but we might be getting worse. I'm exasperated when it takes a full ten days to fill my online order, because I've grown used to one-click buying. So imagine my surprise when I recently contacted the Second Chance Animal Center in Arlington about adopting a dog.
Unlike some shelters, Second Chance doesn't follow an open-adoption policy. You can't just swing in on your lunch hour, spot an adorable puppy and waltz out with it. There's a waiting period, of all things, and they encourage some serious reflection on the part of the adopting human.
They contact your vet to make sure you've spayed and neutered other pets and kept up with shots. Everyone in the adoptive household must meet the animal, to make sure of a good match. They even have a certified dog behavioralist, who evaluates the dog for problematic behaviors - like gnawing on your favorite loafers. And while I admit I'm impatient, I still applaud these pauses in the adoption process, because it's so awful to return a pet.
Anyway, I'm now trying to decide what to make of Governor Scott's veto of S169. One day's wait on a handgun purchase doesn't seem unreasonable – even to someone as impatient as I am – considering that it gives people time for impulses to cool and other options to occur. Since guns have a way of causing irreparable damage, the pause might well be worth it.
And as for our family's next best friend – well – we're patiently waiting.
