Patience

Must get things done
Can’t wait for school to be over
This car in front of me is going to slow

We hurry and become inpatient
when things aren’t going our way
Our blood pressure soars

We tap our fingers top
Time seems to move too slow

Never time for peace
Never time for reflection
Never time for understanding

Maybe now is the time
To realize the glorious light in another
Maybe now is the time to live

Reflection

We want to see results and we want to see them now! We grow impatient with ourselves and others. We tend to be critical when things aren’t going as fast as we want. We have invented time saving devices to give us more time for relaxation. I don’t see these devices giving us patience. They are popular because they do things fast and efficiently. I see nothing wrong with that. But we tend to want the same of ourselves and others.

We want that top paying job now. We want to buy that expensive item today. We get annoyed when people drive to slow or am elderly person takes a lot of time with the cashier at the store. After all we have places to go, and they are slowing us up.

Is this life style living as fully as we would like? Are we so consumed with getting things fast, wanting people to and situations to move fast that we forget to “ smell the roses?”

Have you ever noticed when you are driving when a driver is in a hurry and you are driving the speed limit? Low and behold you reach the stop light at the same time. All their stress getting to a place faster was in vain.

Sometimes it’s hard to be patient with family members when they are doing self destructive behavior. We ask ourselves,” Why are they doing this to themselves?” We may become annoyed with them and our stomach turn in knots. We become so frustrated.

Is feeling this way helping you or your family member? All you are doing is working yourself up into a lather and the family member is probably feeling mis-understood and continuing the behavior out of spite.

What I have learned is the only person I am in control of is me. I can control how I react to situations and how I handle my challenges and feelings. I can’t control anyone else and will only end up frustrated if I try.

Does that mean never giving advice if asked? Or saying to someone,” Looks like you’re feeling stressed” Listening is the best help we can give. Not only listening to others but ourselves. Listening to our body when we begin to get impatient.

We can learn how to relax our muscles and take deep breathes. We can use the tools we have discussed in the other chapters. We can live with a sense of calm and serenity while at the same time being mindful of challenges other people face as well as ourselves.We have the psychological and spiritual tools to be patient with ourselves and others. We just need to remember them.

Poem

Resting within the heart of creation
Two hearts united
Feeling life breathing within

Breathing in the wondrous
love and presence of our creator
Breathing out all fear and distress

The rhythm of life
Living each moment
Giving birth to new found freedom

The ocean and flowers
add their gentle
fragrance to each breathe

Breathing in
Breathing out
The holiness of the breathe of life

Day Twelve

Loss

Our heart weeps
The rain sings it’s
Song of lament with us

How could someone
We love be gone