Patience, above all else, is what is needed right now

As I suppose any child, while growing up, I was constantly told that patience is a virtue. However, it was a virtue that I lacked. My experience was that patience was a synonym of missing out on something I desired and thus I wondered how significant the quality was. Hence I was always fast tracking myself throughout different aspects of my personal and professional life – in fear I would miss out.

Again, I knew patience was a virtue – so I had been told. I accepted that it was not my strong point and did nothing about it just keeping fast forwarding. Like the rabbit from the child tale the rabbit and the turtle. Only that, in the story, the rabbit decides to stop and take a short nap whereas I really didn't. And so I got to the point of exhaustion.

I was about to learn why patience is a virtue and that patience may have different faces: overcoming the impulse of reacting to someone upsetting you; facing boredom; or - the one I was struggling at this moment - to face a health condition. In my case being the patience required of me to face the long process of recovering from exhaustion. Ans doing nothing is very hard to do, because you never know when you are finished! I also learned patience does not come naturally - not to me, at least - so I need to train it. Train to be the turtle, always moving yet at a natural pace.

It is said that nothing teaches like experience. We gain moral maturity each moment precisely because each moment brings some difficulty that we must overcome. And among the virtues gained through difficulty is patience. I now know I lack patience, but I learned why it is important and, mostly, that I should seek to exercise it – yes, we spend so long ensuring we keep in physical/healthy shape and so little ensuring we keep our ethical shape…

And so, as Neal Donald Walsh, refers to it: “Patience, above all else, is what is needed right now. Do not let anxiousness or frustration take over. Conditions on the exterior of your experience will change, but your highest benefit will be achieved when conditions on your interior remain the same. Hold on to your inner peace. Reclaim your identity. Trust your higher wisdom. Look to the grander vision.”

Patrícia