Anticipation; Suspense; Impatience
It was with nervous anticipation that we shuffled through the hallways to the auditorium, because all of us assumed that once Mr. Simon had finished explaining the rules, he would announce the winner of the name-the-school contest. …
I took a deep breath and held it. My heart was pounding. All around me, boys and girls took deep breaths of their own and held them. The auditorium was eerily quiet, except for the muffled rumble of our pounding hearts.Little Follies, “Take the Long Way Home”
Impatience has its roots in frustration. …
Impatience has a range of symptoms. Physical signs can include shallow, fast breathing, muscle tension, and hand clenching. Or you may find yourself restlessly jiggling your feet. …
You may become irritable, angry, or experience anxiety or nervousness. …
Take deep, slow breaths, and count to 10. Doing this will slow your heart rate, relax your body, and distance you emotionally from the situation. Sometimes you might need a longer count, or to repeat the process several times. …
Force yourself to slow down. Make yourself speak and move more slowly. It will appear to others as if you’re calm—and acting patient often makes you feel more patient.The Mind Tools Content Team, “Patience: Don’t Let Frustration Get the Better of You,” Mind Tools
Cliffhanger; Frustration
“In just a minute,” said Mr. Simon, “Mr. Simone is going to—”
I swallowed hard. I wiped my palms on my pants. “This is it,” said Raskol. …
“—explain your room assignments and your lunch, gym, art, music, and recess schedules to you,” said Mr. Simon. A unanimous groan escaped from us.Little Follies, “Take the Long Way Home”
[more to come on Monday, December 27, 2021]
Have you missed an episode or two or several?
You can begin reading at the beginning or you can catch up by visiting the archive or consulting the index to the Topical Guide.
You can listen to the episodes on the Personal History podcast. Begin at the beginning or scroll through the episodes to find what you’ve missed.
At Apple Books you can download free eBooks of “My Mother Takes a Tumble,” “Do Clams Bite?,” “Life on the Bolotomy,” “The Static of the Spheres,” “The Fox and the Clam,” and “The Girl with the White Fur Muff,” the first six novellas in Little Follies.
You’ll find an overview of the entire work in An Introduction to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy. It’s a pdf document.