Time & Patience

This new reality can be overwhelming some days. Most of us, though no one will really says it out loud, really crave busyness. We like to fill time like slots on a schedule. It gives us the sense of progression. That we’re marching forward. If we fill our lives and time with activities, tasks and people, we’re living and we’ll be OK. When busyness slows, it can feel excruciating - distress, depression and anxiety settle in quickly.

I know this first hand - I welded time like a weapon in my previous life. Whether it was an excuse to avoid doing something I didn’t want to do or to hold onto something that made me feel good for just a little longer, time was the constant that allowed me to control my busyness and thus my life.

Today, the break from routine and regular surroundings forces each of us to feel the overwhelming presence of time and our lack of control. I’m not sure about you, but I find myself searching constantly for connections to make sure that my time now matters; and since we can’t do that in person, I find myself using technology to facilitate the connections. But the more I search, the more overwhelming time feels and rather than help me feel in control, I feel the opposite.

It feels so uncomfortable! As things continue to slow down, your mind takes over and you start to reflect on questions (scary questions); am I making a difference in this world? am I contributing to a greater good? what can I do to help those in need? how does all of this fit into a plan for the future? what does the future even look like? will life ever be the same again? The questions and answers seem daunting. Often, we avoid facing these questions (honestly) because they can reveal truths we aren’t willing to consider. So you allow your busyness to occupy your mind and your hands to keep your mind from considering these difficult questions.

When you think about it, we find comfort in the idea that our lives and culture are built around maintaining control of time. We believe we can control our future and our destiny. If we just persevere and press forward, everything will work out. I’m not so sure this isn’t a little disillusioned and maybe, as our sphere of control shrinks, time and patience are the gifts to help us recalibrate what matters.

What if, as the days continue to blend together and time continues to slow, we can reframe how we see this new reality? I certainly know how easy it is to get swept up in the chaos that seems to reign supreme these days - you start to split yourself up; your body at home, your mind occupied with the future or the past, and your spirit is overwhelmed and you feel broken. But it can be a powerful to acknowledge that no-one can predict the future and you can’t change the past but what is for sure is that you have this moment, right now.

What if one of the lessons of all of this is to learn how to allow time to simply 'be'? What if we refocus our nervous energy on being patient with this new reality and accepting it as it is? What if we focus on reflecting (even if just for minute) on being grateful for this moment and for what you have?

If you can allow yourself to use your experiences, thoughts and fears to improve your awareness of the moment, you might just experience peace. By reframing your mind and thoughts, maybe you can change the way you experience this new reality.

What if, for today, time and patience are the gifts and the peaceful warriors we rely on to conquer our fears. Can you imagine that?

I can...and I know we’re going to be OK!

#PatienceandTime #PeacefulWarrior