Mindfulness Attitude #2

is Patience.

Not my best virtue.

I've never been a very patient person.

I like to eat fast, walk fast, make decisions fast. I want the world to happen NOW. If someone says they are going to do something, great. I want it done now. In fact yesterday would be even better.

So this is something I really need to practice. I am getting better. A little. Life sort of forces that on you. You just can't always know the outcome NOW. When you depend on others, things take time.

And of course it's the waiting that strains your patience.

Kabat-Zinn says patience is a form of wisdom. Well, I guess we know what my IQ is. He feels our patience in life will demonstrate we understand life must unfold in its own time. And if you've ever waited for test results or for a medical or legal procedure to happen you know this to be so true. All happens in its own time.

According to Kabat-Zinn we must be open to all experiences because they are going to happen no matter what.  When these situations happen they are our reality, a part of our life unfolding, so why rush through it. This is our life in this moment.

One of our favorite activities (and I was reassured when I found I was not alone in this activity) is to wander in the past and into the future and lose ourselves in the thinking. Sometimes those thoughts are pleasant, others not so. No matter, these thoughts overwhelm our perceptions of the moment and we lose our connection to the present.

Patience is helpful when our mind is agitated. It can remind us we do not need to let our mind wander and get caught up in where it wants to go. We don't have to fill every moment with thinking. We can appreciate and enjoy the moment. We can notice the smells, the sensations that our body is feeling, the emotions we have, pleasant or unpleasant; just noting what is happening is true full awareness.

And the best part is that we have a chance to start all over again with the next moment. Each moment is a new beginning. A new start. A chance to make our life better.

And I just can't wait to get started...