Practicing Patience

“Patience is not passive; on the contrary it is active; it is concentrated strength.” ~ Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Patience at the CrossroadsLately, I’ve had the opportunity to practice patience quite frequently.  Maybe this is always the case but I feel it quite strongly now.  In our daily lives there are many opportunities to practice patience: the traffic light, the slow computer (or Internet connection), the water that doesn’t seem to boil, the sleep that seems elusive, the job offer that is just outside of reach, the child who takes “forever” to go to sleep, the Springtime that seems so far away.  For me, these are opportunities to practice patience and to breathe.

I notice that I often find it hard to make time for a daily meditation practice.  However, there are countless times during the day when my patience starts to fade.  That’s when I take the time to notice my breath.  Sometimes it’s just a single breath, sometimes a few, but regardless, the situation is not changed — I have changed.

With the breath, with my patience, I have fostered calm and gathered strength to go on.

How do you practice patience in your daily life?

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