Patience

So I tried to time everything right…lunch at noon, laundry, feed fish, turn off lawn sprinkler, be at the post office at 1:00 when the lobby window opens.  Only the lobby window opens at 1:15.  Now what?!  No sense going back home – the dog will get all riled up.  I live in a town the size of a peapod so there’s not really anything close by to eat up time.  No sense going to the office – I’d have to come right back.  And as I complain about this to my friend, her text reply stops me cold in my frenzy to fill the time…”Write a blog entry about being patient.”  Good one.

How often do we run though our crazy days just wishing we had 15 minutes to do nothing?  I practically beg for it daily, but when my prayers are answered….I freak out.  I have no idea what to do with free time.  No idea.  So I spin in circles when I’m thwarted from rushing on to the next thing, and the next thing, and… yeah, you get it.  Life has too few of these moments lately.  So here’s how I’m spending my 15 minutes (now only seven left!).

I start by rolling down my car window a bit.  I’m always inside – inside the house, inside the office, inside my car between house and office – so the cool breeze is very fresh and calming.  I can hear it moving through the tree leaves and whipping up into a windy frenzy only to subside and fade away.  I can hear a dog barking – nonstop.  Poor little guy.  His people must be at work and he’s not good with alone time.  I see all of the locals in my small town doing their daily things.  Kids coming home from school (1:15?  Who knew!), volunteer fire department people washing the fire truck, elderly folks wandering about….slowly.  Patiently.  Truth be told, the post office lady arrived five minutes ago – but I’m still enjoying patiently sitting outside, listening, watching, and feeling life at a slower pace.

I didn't really know what I could write about patience, since I'm about the least patient person ever.  Yet, as it always does, the universe gave me the connection....from mindfulness to patience.  By becoming mindful of my environment, by stopping my mad rush and taking in the world around me in a non-judgmental and curious way......I found patience.

So here’s my suggestion to you…next time you unexpectedly have 15 minutes to kill, be mindful.  Listen to the sounds, look around at what you might be missing in your daily rush, and relax.  Breathe a little.  Take the extra time the universe has handed you and reconnect with yourself.  You may find yourself discovering a little patience too.

may you awaken to your best self