Being patient and present
By
I’ve been on jury service this week. It requires a lot of patience and as I look around the juror’s waiting room, I realise that patience is something that is in short supply here.
There is a lot of sighing and looking at watches.
Some people are complaining that it’s an inconvenience and that they are too busy to take the time out of their lives to do jury service. Others are scared and are impatient to be released and hope not to have to do it.
A third group are delighted to be doing jury service and are desperate to be called into the courtroom and get going. They anxiously rub their hands together and dare not go to the bathroom for fear of missing their chance.
The final group (small in number) are enjoying the space that this brings. I have an excellent book with me (Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin) and I’m enjoying the opportunity to read without interruption.
Whatever is happening here today is beyond our control. The process is what it is. On the surface, it seems inefficient and yet, we only see a small part of what is going on. Trials stop and start for all sorts of reasons. Meanwhile, the jurors are waiting. Waiting for the process to unfold.
Those who are present and patient are much more relaxed than the others. I realise that this is a choice. I am choosing to be relaxed because I’ve realised that fighting it and being anxious is not going to change the situation. And with the tense energy around me, that’s not so easy.
How patient are you in allowing things to unfold naturally?
How present are you in what you are doing in each moment?
Whilst I am being patient and present at the court, it’s not something I normally find easy. I’ve recently started to learn qi gong and it involves learning a new move each week which is added onto the previous series of moves. I’ve been impatient to learn the next move each week. Impatient to become proficient at it. Which rather defeats the object of qi gong which is really a form of moving meditation, a way of being mindful and present and relaxed.
Relaxing is the key. So often, we rush about our daily lives that we don’t make time to be present. We don’t make time to enjoy every moment, whatever it is… including the traffic delay on the way to work. And I realise that I can only be patient and present when I relax into the moment and accept it for what it is. Breathe into it. Notice what is here and allow it to be what it is.
Putting it into practice
- Think of an activity you do regularly that you find frustrating e.g. driving to work, brushing your teeth, washing up.
- Next time you do it, breathe. Get really present. Notice what is happening.
- Consider what is positive about the situation (e.g. traffic delay gives you chance to plan your day).
- Make being patient and present a choice in every moment.
- Post your comments below and let us know how you get on.
Be patient. Be present. Be at peace.
With love,
Jude. x
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2 Comments
November 5th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Jude, I love what you have written and try to apply that as much as I can to my life regarding time. Seeing time as a gift instead of seeing it as ‘time wasted’. It also makes me not being a ‘victim’ of time or in relation to someone. For example if I have a meeting with someone at 14 and that person shows up at 14.30 it is my choice what I do with that half hour. I can contemplate, dream, relax, leave or do whatever feels right for me. I also realise more and more and more that other people are not responsible for my feelings, they might trigger feelings in me but the feeling in me is reflecting some underlying need that might not be met. So by trying to empathise with myself rather than blaming or judging someone else gives me so much more power and connection with myself. And others.
What I do realise though is that I am not patient with myself regarding my own learning. I blame and I judge and I am not empathising. So, I can definately think of activities in my life right now that are frustrating in relation to learning and I will apply what you suggest. And most of all I will focus on what is positive about the situation I am in. Hopefully that will support me in being present and give me more patience.
Thank you for supportive and inspiring thoughs. I especially like your question: “How patient are you in allowing things to unfold naturally?” I will keep that with me in relation to my learning process
. Look forward to talk to you soon!
Love
Camilla
November 5th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hi Camilla, thanks for your lovely insightful comment. Yes, it’s sometimes hard to be patient with ourselves when we are learning isn’t it (like my qi gong example). I realise that it’s only when I can be patient with myself that I can really enjoy learning new things… both activities like qi gong and personal growth. Otherwise, it can seem like a chore. Since we learn something every day of our lives, life will be a chore until we can be patient and enjoy the learning process as part of the process of life.