Means of measure

If we didn't measure things, how would we know if something is significantly different than it was before or how would we keep track of progress? My measuring tree in the south neighbor's yard tells me the sun is making its way back to us, slowly, one tiny increment at a time. That fills me with great joy, even though this hasn't exactly been a tough winter so far.

Measuring the time between naps tells me Mr. M is slowly but surely on the mend after surgery.

It makes me wonder why there aren't any standard measurements for things like patience; maybe similar to the pain level chart in the hospital; the one from 1-10 with the smiley to scowly face. How inaccurate is that? Everyone knows you can be in a ton of pain and still smile or be in no pain and be a scowly pain in the butt. Mr. M falls in the former category, which is why my patience with him is a number 1 smiley face. I should probably ask him how he would rate my patience level, it might be different than a 1.