“At Its Own Pace and by Its Own Order.”*
Buddha who Lives in the Orchard Room, Kripalu Center
I would not call myself a patient person. Maybe I’d give myself a 6-out-of-10 rating.
I do want exactly what I want.
And clearly, I want it when I want it.
The flaw, of course, in that thinking is—I might know what I want.
But do I know what I need?
Being old helps.
I have so much evidence-based data that illustrates
The power, the benefits, the doorways
Available when I slow down.
At times, I can hold the posture.
I can chill out and wait for life to catch up with me,
To slow down enough to allow life
To do its business.
Most importantly, being old denies me the energy to push too-too much.
I don’t have it.
And that’s good news.
Of course, there are different levels of life calling for our patience, our pausing:
The inevitability of human annoyances—
- Tight parking lots without spots, alive with the treachery of cruising cars
- Grocery store shopping—too many people with carts in too narrow aisles.
- Waiting at checkout counters.
- Traffic—ugh. All of it.
The invitations to deepen our lives—
- Wanting to grow emotionally
- Needing to cultivate more generosity
- Learning how to respond to threats to our democracy.
In 12 Step we say, time takes time.
I like that simplicity, that conciseness.
It’s a good mantra for me.
It’s a tidy, easy reminder that carries a deep message.
I continue to learn from this quote by Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, who said, “Between the stimulus and the response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”
Pausing gives us the freedom of choice!
Who knew?
Resting is a verb.
Stopping is a gift.
~~~
I saw this quote on one of the program room doors at Kripalu. I hadn’t read it before. I stopped me in my tracks. Here is Swami Kripalu, with his clear, precise wisdom:
Growth can be gradual.
The seed that is sown
Today does not sprout
Into a tree the next day.
It does so only
In the course of time,
At its own pace,
And by its own order.*
~~~
At its own pace,
And by its own order.
What about you?
How well do you wait?
How consistently do you pause?
How willing are you to allow time to take its time?
Oh, by the way, I asked my spouse to rate my patience level, 1-10.
She gave me a 4.
I thought that was a low-ball score.
Smile.
~~~
Here is—dare I say the word—inspiration. This song helped my heavy heart this week. Thank you, Mary, for sending it.
Here’s Lift Us Up, with Peter Yarrow, the guitarist from the folk group, Peter, Paul and Mary. Let me know how this lands for you.
~~~
Friends,
Give us the patience and the tolerance
To keep practicing.
Give us the willingness and the strength
To abide what we see about ourselves.
Help us to live in a place of kindness,
One breath at a time,
As best we can.
Help us to continue to return
To that place,
No matter what
Is happening.
With kindness,
With strength,
With patience,
With tolerance,
Help us to become more
Of whom we really are.
May all beings benefit from our shared words.
Blessings—
All,
Aruni
*Title quote by Swami Kripalu