Hello Dear Readers!


Thanks for reading!  I appreciate it very much.  I'm trying my very best to write a blog post a week, and if you'd keep me accountable I'd appreciate it even MORE.

Today, I'd like to talk about PATIENCE.

In the world we live in, patience is in short supply.  We have everything we could ever want at our fingertips.  24-hour news and election coverage, Seamless and Grubhub for instant snacks, Facebook and Twitter for instant friendship, whatever you need and mostly what you DON'T need, you can have in seconds.  

This is why I feel that patience is a lost art.  So many of us are doing our best to be present in the moment and live in the now, but we've lost the ability to be patient, which makes living in the moment nearly impossible.  How can I live in the moment, when I just wish the fucking line at Target would move faster so I can get home and wear this cool new Milennium Falcon T-shirt I'm buying?
Or when someone is on a walk with their dog, and instead of enjoying the time outside and bonding with their pet friend, they are on their phone, or yanking the dog toward home immediately after the little guy pees.  Poor dog.  He wants to smell some garbage and shit!

I see this kind of behavior in the weight room all the time. Without the dog, of course.  There is a great rush to lift more weight, burn more fat, get more this, lose more that. (that shit rhymes, I know).  The tragedy of no patience in the weight room is that it leads to injury more often than amazing success.  Like the song says, fools rush in, and in this case fools are rushing themselves into surgery, long term recovery time, and no friends.  And THAT my friends, is having patience FORCED upon you, which is never ideal.  

And now we've come to the real root of it.  (FINALLY!)  The real question is, are you going to practice patience a little everyday?  Or are you going to go go go go, until it is FORCED upon you by your own reckless behavior?  Personally, I'm beginning to practice patience every day.  I do my best to take in my surroundings, the people I am with, the activity I am choosing to spend my time doing.  I will say, it's leading to some very revealing thoughts about the way I conduct myself in all my relationships and interactions.  Practicing patience has made me slow down, which makes it easier for me to relax, and helps me open my mind to opportunities all around me.  Instead of constantly wondering "what's next?" I've started to ask, "how long can I sit and savor this moment?"  It's been a beautiful 180 for me.

I encourage you to do the same.  Find small moments in your day when you normally would be exasperated, and practice breathing, and relaxing into those otherwise tense situations.  When the train is late, or the line isn't moving, take that time and practice patience.  Don't pull out your phone right away.  Take in your surroundings.  Reflect on your day, or think of something or someone you are truly grateful for.    Delay your gratification a little and you will yield major benefit.

All we really need is a little....