Patience

Patience is a virtue. How many times have I heard that old adage, yet I have never fully mastered it? Patience requires focus, perseverance, and stamina to stay in the moment. It is a gift that leads to a balanced life. 

In the classroom, we expect teachers as well as students to be patient as they all grow as learners in a caring community. This is true in families and in the workplace as well. Without patience, life would be a series of steps rushing to be completed in an already hurried world. How often have I been guilty of shortcutting process to get to a faster endpoint? 

Patience is the magic ingredient in a recipe for a balanced life. It requires many tablespoons of slowing down, a dash of zest, mixed with reflection to create a final batter. As a baker, I love to create new mixes but know that the process involves time and patience to yield a sweet result. I want to replicate this process in all my interactions. Slowing down to have the energy to move forward with reflective action is needed. When the recipe is not just right I will seek patience to start again. 

As the season transitions, I look forward to a reorganization of my household and office space. Seasonal clothes need to be stored in different closets and vestiges of summer need to be replaced to transition to fall. I think back on the summer when I patiently watched a sunset gently touch the earth. The phenomenon moved me. Bringing that same level of patient, focused watching to everyday life tasks is important to me now. 

 

Stay focused in the moment to find peace.

I will systematically go about my tasks this fall. I will look to a Master Guide who is patient with the world and commit to watch life unfold this fall. I will attempt to stay focused and find balance without a hurried pace, and I will listen carefully to our patient Master's Voice leading me on. 

"We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, 

to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." 

Hebrews 2

How will you stay focused to not drift away this fall?

In a previous post I wrote about paying attention to stay in the moment. Please visit Holly Mueller's blog where she is posting the call for Spiritual Journey Thursday commentaries on the topic of patience.  

Paying Attention

At home or in school, how often do we say "pay attention" when we need our children or students to focus? These two words are used to bring focus to the task or idea of the moment. Oftentimes, we forget that we also need to stay in tune. Perhaps, we could flip the scenario by taking time to question how closely we pay attention to those around us.

Do we read our children or our learners' faces, their body language? 

Do we pay attention to individual needs? 

Do we pause and think about our words and how they affect others? 

Being mindful allows us to pay closer attention to others and reflect upon our words. At the end of the day I think about the choices I have made and how well I interacted with others. Lately, my take away is that I need to pay better attention to others and be more open to possibilities that will grow my perspectives. 

In developing my online global galleries of artistic expressions, I have been more in tune with nature. My observation skills and perspectives have grown through the creative process. Now, the next step is to create the same flow of noticing and wondering in my daily interactions with others. 

Paying attention, listening intently, and believing in a better path will be outgrowths of staying in the moment. I will be able to turn around a misstep or misspoken word with faith as my guide. Setting a course of action with a positive mindset benefits all. 

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Psalm 4:20

Now please turn your attention to Spiritual Journey Thursday under the leadership of Holly Mueller. This week's topic is Paying Attention.