Have you ever had a sloth in your life? Not the actual animal (although, honestly, look at those faces), but a person who moves through life at a pace that suggests they have absolutely nowhere to be until approximately 2047?

Sloths are adorable. Those little faces! Those long arms! They look like they’re permanently smiling because they’ve figured out a secret about life that the rest of us Type A-ish humans have yet to discover.

And then there are the people sloths.

You ask them to do something, and they’ll get to it. Eventually. You just have to recalibrate your expectations, adjust your timeline, and possibly accept that the thing you requested last Tuesday is now a long-term project.

Meanwhile, you’re internally screaming.

As a psychologist, I appreciate that not everyone operates at the same speed. Some people are deliberate. Some are methodical. Some believe that urgency is a social construct. And some of us would like to get through our to-do lists before retirement.

The truth is, sloths aren’t necessarily lazy or uncaring. They may simply have a different relationship with time. And sometimes, the person who drives you absolutely bonkers is also the person who makes you laugh, shows up when it matters, or reminds you that not everything is an emergency.

So you breathe. You wait. You occasionally vent to a trusted friend because even enlightened people have their limits.

And then you look at that adorable face and think, Fine. I’ll deal with it.

Because at the end of the day, some people are worth the extra time, the deep breaths, and the occasional eye twitch.

Just please, for the love of all things holy, respond to the email.

PsychologistMimi’s takeaway: Patience is a virtue. Venting is self-care. And being cute is not, technically, a performance improvement plan.

Although, in some cases, it certainly helps.