Patience is a Virtue.....Does Anybody Have Some Spare?

Patience is virtue, an art, a well honed skill and character trait that is nurtured and seeded from the earliest years of our lives. We are taught as children to be patient for the things we want. We are taught the importance of waiting for the appropriate time to speak and to be spoken to. We wait for time with our peers, our parents, our mentors. We learn through the years that patience is a core of balancing life every day. Patience is a virtue and with it we are better people. More tolerant. More forgiving. Kinder. More thoughtful. Patience drives focus and success. Patience means the gears of life move together like a well oiled machine. Love, health, business, money, all rely on patience.

Patience is NOT my strength.  It is in fact one of my biggest weaknesses. I have difficulty waiting patiently for anything. Rather it be a phone call, in line at the grocery store, for test results from my doctor, or for a child who is mere minutes late beyond a curfew.  Patience is my downfall.  In truth, it is my imagination and fear that is my downfall, and the time required of patience allows my imagination the freedom to run wild, like an unbridled stallion across the northern plains.

When I have nothing to worry or wait for, time flies by. The day passes and it feels like there aren't enough moments to complete my thoughts and tasks.

However,....When I have something which requires me to be patient, time comes to a halt.  Its as if the world begins to move in slow motion.  I can hear ever tick and tock of clock as the seconds slowly pass by.  They become like a drumbeat in my breastbone. I can hear my heart beat in my ears and feel every beat at the pulse points in my neck and wrists. My mind and imagination play out every possible scenario, both positive and negative and I cry at the sadness of the bad news, even though it isn't real.

Patience requires the ability to set aside doubt and fear. To free the spirit and soul of weight and worry. To respect the time of others and the the process in which everything must pass.

Patience is not my strong suit and this week is the worst. I wait, with all the patience I can muster, and my imagination wanders and the fear and anxiety builds, and I cant help myself. As honest and true as I am to the process, I know my weakness, and it stands in the way of where I want to be.

I am trying to be patient, but if you have a cup or two to spare please send it my way.