Patience. I speak of this word often. I'm usually telling my children to have patience. In my years of having many children I believe I've developed more patience. This week I've been border line loosing my patience with different scenarios. Just border line......basically telling myself instead of my children to have more patience. Everywhere tests your patience. I'm driving in a 60 km zone, a long street that can take forever. It really takes forever when the driver in front of you is remaining at a speed of 35 km. Feeling a bit late already I'm chomping at my gum, hanging tightly on the steering wheel breathing calmly while listening to my son ask, "Why are you going so slow Mom?!" I have my moments. Moments when dinner is always at a certain time then I forget to turn on the oven! Usually it's the opposite, I forget to turn the oven off! What's a little electricity? Then my humor kicks in when our children ask, "Why is my baked potato hard MOM?" "It's a cold Norwegian dish, just smear some butter on it", I did say. Sheesh. My husband is building a staircase, it's been taking awhile because he's cutting many different wooden angles, gluing each piece and each piece has to be exact. Well his patience has been tested.....from the measurements of each angle to the product of glue. The first attempt of gluing lead to weights pressing down for days, the second product of glue dried quickly then started to lift. Now he's told me that he will sleep on the stairs if he has too! I smiled and said,"If you're lying around waiting for glue to dry, you're a patient man" Every day there is incidences that can test our patience. Like endless sock balls. A year ago I wrote about laundry. Yes, a whole post on the endless sock balls. There is still no end. Like the Karate Kid, I'm thinking 'pull out the sock, push in the sock, pull out the sock' like the 'hang up the coat, drop the coat, hang up the coat' teaches not only patience but hanging up the coat with the elimination of sock balls. There is some nights when everyone is sleeping, not only sleeping but snoring and chattering unknown words. I am probably the lightest sleeper in our home, listening to every sneeze, sniffle or burp. Some nights can be extremely long, watching the clock, tossing and turning. I think patience is when you turn off the alarm clock before it rings, get up with a smile on your face in hopes the next night isn't as long as the last. To a red light, long line ups in grocery stores and even children being told over and over to wash their hands is what I say, "Patience building" So here's a thought. I know that our daily trials, our past experiences teach us and are there for our own inner growth. I have a personality that seems to always be keen and is learning to develop these strengths through awareness, through even the smallest of circumstances such as a raw potato. I truly believe with having constant awareness or recognition of what's happening at our present moment, will teach us to develop more patience for it. For example, my four year old son constantly screams about how he hates his food. It doesn't matter what it is. I've now realized that this could happen at every meal, I've accepted it could happen (awareness) and developed patience for it. Like my husband, I can hear him muttering over the stairs, finally he sits down (accepts what is) and says,"One step at a time" Just like many tantrums, two teenage squabbles, the outbreak of fifth disease during Christmas in a snow blizzard with fourteen people and one dog in a six hundred square foot condo for four days! While hot tubing developing more patience for the storm to blow over finding out on the last day the hot tub was contaminated by fecal matter. All this I believe is teaching me at least to have patience and accepting what is. One day at a time, a time worth writing about but not attempting to do over is what I call a memorable patience building experience. Nothing can be worse to test your stress, your level of patience then loosing your condo and vehicle keys in the middle of a sledding hill during a blizzard with your large family complaining of being cold. With all my experiences that life has provided me, I can say thank you for teaching me to have a high level of patience. If anything, a calm patient approach usually settles the fire and the green light will emerge. With time whatever is meant to be, will be with patience.
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