Usually when we speak of patience, there is a sigh or a resigned tone hovering somewhere near. At least that is how it was for me for a lot of my life – patience did not come naturally. Many moons ago, a friend remarked that ‘Patience is the jewel in the crown’. At the time, I trusted that he spoke with wisdom, but didn’t fully grok his meaning. Now I do… Having developed some patience with myself and others, I understand that it is the space that allows all the other virtues to develop. Sometimes I think of my embodied time on Earth as a ‘Patience Training’ 🙂 Without it, my relationships with all the things just don’t have a chance to flourish.
Patience is the space in which the alchemy of growth and change happen – in their own time. It is really made of trust, and the surrender to the flow and rhythm of life. Impatience never succeeds, it creates a false sense of urgency and frustrated control – it just does not feel good. And for good reason, it goes against the grain, it’s the dissonant note in the melody. Patience is presence, the long exhale, seeing things with the eyes of love…and is its’ own reward. Patience is really the foundation of love, and a sweet gift of respect for the our own flow and that of another.
Our relationship to linear time can bring up impatience. It’s a strange thing, time, a construct that is useful, but can feel oppressive without patience. As I have deepened in trust and faith in myself and life, patience seems to be the natural side-effect. Thank Goodness! The generosity and grace of life shows itself again and again – in the spaciousness and timelessness of the heart, there is room for everything. There is a place for all in this great cauldron of life, this boundless dance. For me, that is the key to patience, to hold all the things in and open wide heart, and make room for the rhythm of love and wisdom that guide us 🙂