Nothing of substance or importance comes easy. It takes the strength of patience to assist you in pursuing your quest. Time, calm and perseverance, plus the ability to tolerate glitches, to manage long gaps of seemingly unproductive time when thinking and creativity are actually percolating.............these are the ingredients. We all know this, and yet....
Patience is not a virtue I have a lot of. Granted, there are certain tasks that I set out to do where I have a great deal of tolerance and understanding. There are clients that I see and want to help and know that if I go with their pace and help them along, they will succeed. I'm good at that. But, when it comes to what I want personally, or what I want to accomplish, my patience flies out the window most of the time. It gets all clogged up with emotional perseveration and excitability.
Patience is not a virtue I have a lot of. Granted, there are certain tasks that I set out to do where I have a great deal of tolerance and understanding. There are clients that I see and want to help and know that if I go with their pace and help them along, they will succeed. I'm good at that. But, when it comes to what I want personally, or what I want to accomplish, my patience flies out the window most of the time. It gets all clogged up with emotional perseveration and excitability.
Yeah, I think when God was handing out patience, I got in the wrong line-up. No, I could never be a scientist who has to persistantly take such baby steps to work towards completing their research. Might as well pull my finger nails out because that would be less painful.
When I think of this virtue, I think of a little boy named Chris who used to go to the Camp I worked at years ago. Chris was a very hyperactive kid who had little focus. On his good days, he would bounce off the walls in the lodge during meals. He was impulsive with his actions and his mouth, which needless to say, got him into trouble at least 10 times a day.
When I think of this virtue, I think of a little boy named Chris who used to go to the Camp I worked at years ago. Chris was a very hyperactive kid who had little focus. On his good days, he would bounce off the walls in the lodge during meals. He was impulsive with his actions and his mouth, which needless to say, got him into trouble at least 10 times a day.
He was a charmer too, though and his enthusiasm for certain activities like swimming and sailing and crafts was infectious. He was an attention seeker, a kid that needed more attention than others and for no apparent reason except that he was wired that way. Chris was friendly and never mean. He just made you feel tired just watching his energy and impatience. His true love were animals, and this is where you would see a completely different kid who had the patience of Job.
When I close my eyes and picture Chris, I see him lying on his back spread eagle across the main path that went from the tent section to the lodge. Unaware and unfazed that he was blocking most camper traffic, Chris laid there with a peanut on his nose. Quietly, calmly, happily he was waiting for a chipmunk to find him. Patient and focused..........all track of time vanished as he laid still. And when no other movement was around him, when all the camper traffic had disipated, a little chippie would scamper out of the brush along the path and tentatively approach Chris by his feet.
When I close my eyes and picture Chris, I see him lying on his back spread eagle across the main path that went from the tent section to the lodge. Unaware and unfazed that he was blocking most camper traffic, Chris laid there with a peanut on his nose. Quietly, calmly, happily he was waiting for a chipmunk to find him. Patient and focused..........all track of time vanished as he laid still. And when no other movement was around him, when all the camper traffic had disipated, a little chippie would scamper out of the brush along the path and tentatively approach Chris by his feet.
Still and calm...........he knew that one false move, the chipmunk would bolt............tolerant and composed................focused on a goal of feeding the little animal........Chris never moved a muscle, all the while emiting safe welcome encouraging trustworthy vibes. Eventually, the chippie would step up onto Chris' leg and tentatively risk the trek up to the peanut. As soon as it reached it's destination, it would grab the peanut in it's mouth and scamper quickly to the safety of the bush, leaving Chris with a mile wide smile.
For a couple of summers, this little boy was like my shadow. I had often wondered why he gravitated to me. I think partially it was because I wasn't critical of his hyperactivity and I didn't the play the part of disciplinarian with him. My role was much more fun than that. I ran the craft program where I could help him channel his creativity as a productive outlet. Plus, I had seen his strengths and the times he could be patient when I quietly watched Chris' peanut dance with the chipmunks. There is also an undefined chemistry and energy that can happen between two people. Despite the 10 year difference, we just hit it off.
So, as I consider how I can become more patient so that I express myself less impulsively, so that I have more control over my emotions, I have learned that my main source of learning is through prayer and thinking quietly..................not aloud...................quietly. If I find myself losing my cool or becoming obsessive in my actions/thoughts to a point where I'm jeopardizing my integrity and friendships, maybe I should close my eyes and visualize that little boy with the peanut on his nose, waiting with hope.
"Everything comes gradually and at it's appointed hour."
Ovid
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