“A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.” ~George Savile
Patience.
As we begin a new calendar year, ‘patience’ is my word for 2022.
But.
Anybody else worn out with waiting? And tired of trying?
Waiting for COVID to wane while trying to stay safe.
Waiting for justice for the U.S. January 6th insurrection while Fox blares the Big Lie.
Waiting for a job to open up, or your child’s school, or a hospital bed.
Trying to keep in shape, or juggle the family bills, or maintain an optimistic outlook, or… a million other things.
Waiting and trying. It’s exhausting.
As one of my heroes, Dr. Seuss, once wrote, “The waiting place…is a most useless place.”
So, my word for 2022 is patience, but not the kind of patience with its fingers on the table drumming out morse code for “hurry up!”
I’m talking about the kind of patience that keeps its hands folded, and its mouth shut.
And breathes.
And trusts.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~Anais Nin
It takes courage to exercise trust and patience. (I would argue that they are siblings.)
There is the kind of courage that acts—and then there’s the kind of courage that endures.
We require both these days if we are to survive the uncertainty in which we all swim.
How we demonstrate our courage, how we exercise our patience, reveals the strength of our character—or the lack of it.
If you’re struggling with the state of the world and its effects on you and those you love, perhaps it’s time to look outwards a little less—and inwards a little more.
Oh, and remember to breathe.
It could save your life.
Or at the very minimum, your fingers.
“Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.” ~Joyce Meyer
