The Seventh Blessing: Patience

Blessing #7: I am Patient

Oh, man- not gonna lie, for me this was/is one of the hardest and requires the most work.

Growing up, I always seemed to have one of those “hot” tempers. I half-jokingly blamed it on my heritage and passionate blood coursing through my veins.  That may or may not have some truth to it, but I don’t have a shred of scientific evidence to back it up.

I do have memories of the feisty, fiery-tempered mom who raised me, though. She was a petite, beautiful ball of energy and as much a fighter for what she believed in as she was a generous, loving soul. It was pretty easy to push her buttons, and oh, did I ever. That little firecracker from Honduras probably had more to do with shaping me than my actual DNA.

This lead me to the place of needing to do A LOT of work on myself later in life, and not without a trail of destruction in my wake. If you’ve ever seen the old Warner Bros. cartoons of the Tasmanian Devil, I kinda feel that was a fair representation of me whenever I was pissed off. Not beating myself up over it (anymore), just stating the facts.  And the truth is, I’ve come a really long way. Yes- I still have work to do in making my own “hot buttons” less accessible, less active.

I’m still incredibly passionate about the things that stir my soul, which is a good thing. I have learned that it is OK to not just speak my truth to myself, but to live it. Because I choose to be a more patient, kind, and loving person, I know that I don’t actually have to curse the bad drivers from the safe confines of my car in Southern California traffic.

I don’t have to yell at the refs for yet another bad call during a hockey game, or get into a useless shouting match with a drunk/annoying/ill-informed fan at an otherwise fun-filled event.

I don’t have to have a meltdown when I’m stuck near the rear of a slow moving queue. I don’t have to lose my cool at every insult, no matter who delivers it.

I’m learning that I don’t have to respond to every perceived threat or challenge. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not so much.

For now, the key is in finding the balance between being able to stand my ground when it is appropriate, and when to just Chill & Let That Shit Go. 

Thank you, Internets. I love that meme.

And honestly, it depicts a state of peacefulness that I do aspire to, whatever challenges life has in store for me.

Our egos are terribly impatient and prefer to stomp around when the least bit inconvenienced. Here’s a better way:

Breathe deeply, release, then say to yourself:

“I AM PATIENT. I AM PATIENT WITH MYSELF. I AM PATIENT WITH THE PEOPLE I INTERACT WITH. I REALIZE THAT BEING IMPATIENT IS NOT HELPFUL, SO I TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND EXHALE SLOWLY WHEN I AM BEGINNING TO FEEL TENSE, ANGRY, IRRITABLE OR FRUSTRATED. WHEN I BEGIN TO FEEL IMPATIENT IN ANY SITUATION, I PAUSE AND GIVE A SILENT BLESSING. I AM PATIENT.”

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