Patience

A few days before I left home Grace and Haz were over at the house. I love them very much, but after about 15 minutes on the trampoline I am exhausted. Raising kids is incredibly hard work and I don't even know the half of it, because when I watch the kids it's for a few hours and I just have to make sure they don't hurt themselves. Yet when I'm tired, my patience is tested, and it's been found wanting.

Even just a few weeks ago I would have considered myself to be patient. Don't we all think we're little islands of long-suffering, common sense, and open-mindedness in an ocean of idiots? It's like how everyone truly believes they are above-average drivers. Patience and perseverance are required for growth. In our relationships and our careers.

So I'm trying to slow things down and focus on one thing at a time. There's a time to plan for the future as well as reminisce about how we got here, but it's just as important to be fully present in the moment. As a musician I want to set aside time in my day to just listen to music. I don't have to practice 12 hours a day if I practice efficiently and with the patience to concentrate on one problem at a time. The slower you practice, in terms of material covered, the faster you learn. The faster you learn, the more material you can cover.

To me, patience in a broader sense means trust in a process. Working through the boring or difficult times with the end goal in mind. You let go of your worry of temporary failure in the hope of ultimate success. Patience is replacing anger, and annoyance, and fear, and frustration with love. It's understanding that people have other problems and that sometimes it's just not the right time for something that you want in your life. Things may not go according to your plans. As the song goes, "You can't always get what you want // But if you try sometime you might find you get what you need."