patience

A friend of mine taught me this saying: patience is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom in a woman but never in a man. I don't like being sexist, whether there is truth in this or not.

I have strong feelings about patience. Everyone possesses some amount of it. We have different amounts for different activities. As a teacher, I had a lot of patience for my students who were struggling with various learning disabilities. I did not have much for my body when my MS symptoms arrived. It is one of the concepts I have learned a lot about over the 20 years since my diagnosis.

I believe patience is a skill that can be practiced. Like yoga or meditation the more you practice the better you get. It is important to remember though that patience is not something you acquire and you are done. It needs to be practiced every day. Some days it comes easier than others. Some days require it more than others. When facing a difficulty, we need more patience, but it is often harder to summon. That is when you get the most practice.

Here are some lyrics I sing to myself when I'm trying to be patient: 1– by the Beatles, "Nowhere Man don't worry, take your time, don't hurry"… 2– by Simon and Garfunkel, "slow down, you move too fast, you've got to make the morning (moment) last." I am still practicing, but I have got techniques that help.

Wishing you patience when you need it!