Winter is a Great Time to Practice Patience
Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” – Joyce Meyer
Winter creeps in here on the East Coast, the snow, the sleet, and freezing rain. This marks the beginning of what I imagine will be another long cold winter, they always are. Every year this time, I find myself bracing for impact for the deteriorating weather and the long dark nights. So much so, that I sometimes forget to enjoy the time leading up to it.
Anyone who knows me also knows I’m not the most patient person – in fact, I tend to always be in somewhat of a hurry. I am constantly reminding myself to take a beat and enjoy the present. Wonderful things are happening all around us; sometimes we just need to slow down to see them. Winter has a way of testing my patience and at the same time reminding me to enjoy where I am at the moment.
Lao Tzu tells us “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” I suppose I could trust the example that Mother Nature sets for us all and lean back and relax a bit. I’m going to make a concerted effort this winter to sit with the moments that typically fill me with urgency and try to enjoy the things I otherwise would be missing out on by moving through life too fast. Besides, according to Anton Chekhov “People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” 🙂
I wish you all a warm winter and I hope you remember there are also beautiful moments found in between the moments that are worth waiting for.