The Gift of Self-Patience
Choose the extra-large one, it’s free!
I’ve always been an extremely patient person, especially when it comes to the happenings around me. It occurred to me recently that I have not been granting myself the same courtesy.
There are so many things that require patience throughout each day. Immediately upon waking, that screeching alarm clock wails for you to rise and shine. You need the patience to allow yourself to adjust from a peaceful slumber to an impatient world needing your attention.
Just to get out the door or to your designated work area reveals all kinds of hurdles testing patience. For instance; getting yourself ready, dressed, and maybe others, too, like the kiddos . . . or the doggo.
“It’s too cold!” Mom continues looking for the matching socks (we don’t have any), the shoes, the hair ties, the sock monster.
And where on Earth are all of our spoons?!
If I was a coffee drinker, I’d imagine waiting for that first fresh cup of brew would also require patience. I’m a hot chocolate drinker, though, so I don’t have to worry about that one. But then on your commute, you might have traffic, fuzzy radio stations, wild animals blocking the road, or people blocking the road watching the wild animals.
Those last few might just be us.
We live in a park. It’s not the trees, grass, and playground kind. It’s the National kind. Strange, I know. It’s pretty epic though, except for the annoyingly spotty internet and how sometimes we can’t get home because of the literally thousands of cars lined up at the entrance station blocking our only way in. Patience I tell you!
While all of these things require patience, they aren’t the true patience testers. Little things can add up, but it’s the big and prolonged things that have a real impact on a sense of inner calm. Lately, I’ve become frazzled and frustrated with myself because I can’t accomplish everything I set out to do. Why can’t I get more done? Most days I feel like I’m trying to race an imaginary clock.
I set goals for myself, but they are completely unattainable. I know this, but I continue to do it. Every day I lose patience in myself. Get it together! I haven’t published something in forever! Think quicker, write quicker, be better!
The processes of these many, many months are what patience is made of.
Did I mention I’m a new homeschool mom?
Teaching requires steady patience. Our daily schedule requires patience. Understanding others’ choices and actions requires patience. A pandemic requires patience. Finding time to write requires patience — and I see that this will probably be a very slow process for me.
Last week I tried an experiment — I attempted to move through the day without looking at the time or schedule. I told myself that if we don’t get through the 8 separate lessons I teach a day, it will still be okay and we’ll eventually get through them. My children are also learning from the quality of discussions we have from current events to great authors to healthy living. Yesterday, we didn’t get all of our math problems finished, but we did have an earth-moving talk about animals.
Did you know that the thorny devil lizard drinks from its back and every zebra in the world has a different stripe pattern, like fingerprints? (Facts courtesy of my daughter.)
The circumstances we are facing in the world right now are difficult and obvious. It will require an abundance of understanding and patience to find equitable solutions. A lot of us are juggling so much trying to figure it all out. I’m always willing to adjust and adapt to what we must, but that should include being easier on myself to meet these changes and challenges.
Today, I have decided to be more patient with myself.
Having patience with all of the things that are completely out of my control is important and something I’ve always been good at. Being patient with myself is just as important and something I need to work on. It opens up a mind-space otherwise occupied by exhaustion, frustration, and impossible goals. I much prefer to fill it with free-flowing thoughts, purpose, and a sense of accomplishment.
Patience is peaceful. It should be steady and continuous.
It is water flowing to the sea. Patience is kindness and understanding. Showing patience to others removes roadblocks, allowing solutions to take form. It creates a foundation built strong with compassion. Nothing is stronger than a structure created from the heart.
I will continue to work toward meeting my goals in a new mindset; with my brand new box of self-patience and the bonus gift of more inner calm. I went ahead and chose the extra-large one.