Patience: A New Understanding

This is a journal entry from February 2015 that I wrote after having the profound experience of being deeply present. It is still as meaningful to me today as the day I wrote it.

Patience, something I have always struggled with. I often get ahead of myself and rush things. Rushing where?

When I am impatient I do not accord with nature. The simple beauty of life is now: it’s not about what happens, but rather how it happens.

Patience allows me to relish in the wonder of the journey. Joy wells up in my being, saturating my world in bliss. This feeling has no opposite, words cannot accurately describe it. This is the simple pleasure of being.

For me, this feeling came about through adversity, worrying about worrying. Thinking “what if…” and mentally berating myself asking “was it worth it?” Yes. A million times yes.

Through this adversity came the realization that it does not matter where I came from or where I am going, all I need be concerned with is right now. All that is needed of me is patience. Patience to flow with the way things are.

The joy and compassion that this patience breeds is extreme, it is entirely liberating. A lightness of heart is found through that feeling, through the experiential knowledge that everything is as it should be.

The acknowledgement that whatever happened brought me here, to this moment of profound realization. What else could I possibly seek? What else is there?

Intellectually, I thought I understood patience. Now, experientially I know. Sometimes people act patiently but think impatiently, this has been my way for some time and it is definitely impatience.

Patience is. It is accordance with this moment, both physical and mental alignment to our experience no matter what mental labels you may assign.

Are you acting patiently but maintaining impatient thoughts? Be honest with yourself. What is the use of rushing to the finish if you miss the true beauty of life: the journey.