PATIENCE

(bits& pieces from the internet worth sharing)  

My Mother used to quote an old-fashioned limerick:  “Patience is a virtue, seldom found in

woman and never found in man!”  Of course Mother was born in 1890, I trust we have come a distance from that thinking.  Patience, nevertheless, is a characteristic all of us wish to enhance.

It is the ability to remain calm when waiting a long time or dealing with problems or difficult people (Merriam-Webster).   According to Dr Mitch Abbott, a clinical psychologist who works with children and adolescents in the Boston area, there are three Mindful components for building patience:

   1/ Cultivating an acceptance of what is actually happening in the present

       moment, in our reality.

   2/ Getting our thinking clear around the very real fact that everything is

       constantly changing.

   3/ Finally, not getting stuck on believing that you are separate, an

      “island” unto yourself.  

Dr Abbott added, “Patience might not be flashy, but it is crucial to well-being and effectiveness. And it is not something only the Dalai Lama can do. Patience is what modern psychological and brain science would support and it is what you can do while waiting for the next thing – the end of the meeting, your driveway at the conclusion of a long vacation, the salivation and smell of dinner about to be served, sleep before dreams of the weekend’s diversion. 

Impatience on the other hand, pulls the rug from under our best and loving intentions. It is possible to pause and practice patience, try the following suggestions:   

      Does your indignation toward another person feel good?

     How might you learn something from this other?

     Let folks know your riding negative urges and reactions. Some of us refer to it as

     “having a bad day.”

 Here’s to patience, may our store increase!!!