Learning from Patience 

Experiencing mishaps, predicaments, and troubles is part and parcel of being human. Every day, we can count on experiencing a setback, glitch, or inconvenience. Such things, big or small, are not so much welcomed as tolerated.

With red lights, long lines, or someone else’s mistake, our agitation gets triggered. We are inconvenienced, forced to wait, and we wonder when we’ll get back on the fast track of our very important lives.  

I remember a conversation I had with a fellow yoga instructor. She’d just gotten back from traveling. One of her flights had been canceled, forcing her to wait for the next flight. She said, “It didn’t matter how many long, slow, deep breaths I took, I still felt like slugging somebody!” 

Sometimes it does take a little bit more than deep breathing to disengage our internal turbulence. Often it takes thoughtful thinking. 

To begin with, it helps to welcome our setbacks rather than resent them as intruders. Thinking of them as temporary guests who have something to teach us opens up a new pathway in our brain.  

Presently, I’m experiencing a glitch in my swimming routine. From September to November, the high school swim team gets all six lanes at 6:00 a.m. 

I am a 5:00 a.m. swimmer, and my workouts can last 90–105 minutes. But from September to November, unless I go later in the day, I only get an hour.

I know how to whine. I know how to complain. I know how to be impatient. But for a change, I am welcoming patience as a guest, allowing it to have its way with me. 

Patience, like no other virtue, teaches me to be calm instead of ruffled in the crowded pool. Patience teaches me that I can relax in the dry sauna while waiting my turn for a shower stall. Patience teaches me that I can compose myself while waiting for November to come.

Why Bother?

Why bother learning from patience? When you’re inconvenienced, welcome patience as your teacher. You might be surprised and delighted.