The Lost Shoe

I had a lesson in patience while on our drive back from Washington.  I was driving with my friend and her 3 kids and with my 2 kids.  The drive was going pretty good and we stopped at a park in Pendleton, OR for lunch.  The kids had a good time running around and getting some wiggles out.  So we started packing up and I told Olivia to go and get in the car.  She decided she wasn't done playing yet and ran back to the playground.  I was a little frustrated because if anyone knows me, when driving I don't really like to stop, I just want to get to my destination as fast as possible.  So I ran after Olivia and told her to get in the car.  She started crying and freaking out because there was sand in her shoe (and I thought, well if you listened to me the first time this wouldn't have happened).  I told her to deal with it and go to the car.  She started freaking out more so I ripped her shoes off and told her to walk barefoot in the grass.  Then she started crying more so I threw her over my shoulder and carried her to the car with her screaming the whole way.  I chucked her shoes in the car, put Olivia in her carseat and she fought me the whole time I was trying to buckle her.  At this point I was so done with her!  I jumped in the car and drove away.  When we reached Parma, ID to get gas I looked for Olivia's super cute Keen sandals...but only one was found.  I looked all through the car, the other shoe was nowhere to be found.  Then I remembered that at the last stop I chucked her shoes in the car not paying attention to if both of them were in the car when we left.  I realized that I had been stupid and silly.  It was naptime, she didn't want to get back in the car, and she had sand in her shoe.  Why had I been so impatient with her.  Why hadn't I just calmly picked her up, taken off her shoes, dumped out the sand, placed her shoes back on her feet, and walked with her back to the car.  It would have added a minute, tops, to our drive and I would still have those adorable little shoes.  So now I keep the one shoe that I have on a shelf in my house to remind me to be more patient, and it has worked.  When Olivia starts throwing a fit and I start getting frustrated with her, I see the shoe and I calm down and try to see the "crisis" through her eyes and stay calm.