I would like to believe I’m a patient person. After all, I’ve raised a child, potty trained a dog, and witnessed the growth of my clients with respect for their own process and timing.
But, lately I’ve been feeling frustrated because reality is not matching up with my expectations.
I bought my current house last summer and have been looking forward to landscaping the front yard. After a long, frosty winter, I was excited about my spring goals of removing overgrown bushes, planting pretty flowers, power washing the house, and painting the porches. I couldn’t wait to get started.
It’s seems funny now, but when I lived in California I thought all of the seasons were 3 months long. Here in Missouri we are lucky if spring lasts 2 weeks. We can miss it if we blink.
This year our short spring season was complicated by almost daily thunderstorms. When we had a dry day my time was spent mowing because the grass grows really fast when it rains.
I decided to raise the dirt level around the house to help protect it from water before planting and power washing and this put everything on hold. And, then I cut my finger and had to keep it clean and dry for a week or so.
That was the last straw.
I realized my expectations were not realistic and holding them tightly was only upsetting me. I felt frustrated that things weren’t getting done on my timeline. The projects started to seem overwhelming and I constantly felt behind.
It was clear that I was trying to drive something that needed to evolve in it’s own time. And so, I let go of those expectations, took a deep breath and embraced peaceful patience.
Lesson learned. Again.
My new marker for success is working on one thing daily that moves forward one of my many projects. I’m doing what I can and that is enough.
The front yard and porches are on hold, waiting for the dirt to be added. So I am working on my bed of lilies in the back yard. I’m also taking time to sit on my deck and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Removing expectations and embracing patience is feeling very peaceful.
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As I move into the second half of my life, this is the one thing I value the most: peace.
Thank you for sharing these ideas.
I am right there with you.