Patience is a Virtue

If there is anything at all that I've learned about life, it's that being patient makes it so much easier and flow much more smoothly. Patience seems to have been this week's lesson, because it sprung up three different times within seven days.

Growing up we're taught to rush everywhere and everything, and that you're a nuisance if you are slower in nature. We are constantly rushing to the place we next need to be, whether it be school, work, the beach, back home...wherever. At work we are only valued if we can do our jobs quickly and efficiently while still being the best at our craft. This is how we're trained; rush or be overcome by someone who can do it faster, better, and more cheaply than you can. This system was designed to create a world in which the dog-eat-dog principle is prominent, but I've seen a world where patience actually creates ease, beauty, and peace. I'll do my best to explain this world to you within a mere few paragraphs.

For the first time since I've been back, I went with the family to a museum/church nearby their house. This particular one was fun because there was a natural history museum built into the church, making two different types of tours possible. We were with the kids, so first we went into the history museum where there were tons of fossils, animals stuffed and showcased, dinosaurs and live fish from all around the world (even piranhas!). The kids had an absolute blast looking at all of the cool bones and stuffed creatures in the exhibits, saying "Guarda!" (look!) at everything. Michele, one of the little boys even went so far as to imagine what would happen if all of the fake animals came to life. Imagination is one of the things I love most about children...there is never a lack! It was really fun for me to see what each of the animals was called in Italian, too; it was a great vocabulary lesson!

They had some really cool exhibits that were more than just things stuck in glass (although those were cool too!). They created a replica of what they imagine prehistoric forests would have looked like all of those years ago so that you could feel like you were actually there! The other one was underwater themed (lit with blue lights!) with a humungous great white shark coming out of the wall. They did it quite brilliantly, actually; they painted the tail onto the wall in a curved manner and the rest of the beast facing towards you as you walk in. You could really get up close to see how gnarly their three layers of teeth are in real life...yikes!

We were almost done exploring the museum when I could tell that Alessandro (the father of the three boys Michele, Ascanio and Francesco) was getting really frustrated with his kids for being kids...running around and using their outside voices, etc. I noticed that he was constantly reprimanding one or all of them from doing something that, in my opinion, wasn't always necessary. And I do realize that I'm making a judgement before I really know what it's like to have three kids, but I feel that if you just practice patience, life with them would be ...better. I also realize that it's easier said than done. It was interesting for me to watch Ale getting so worn down by feeling like he had to yell at his kids every second, and it was clear to me how negative a toll it is on a person to be impatient, and for everyone involved. This was the first arrival of the theme of patience, and it made me realize how important it really is, and how much I hope I can maintain the patience I've learned to have with kids and people now and carry it over to when or if I ever have my own.

The second arrival of this particular theme came when I entered the main room of the church. It's been a while since I've been in an Italian church, so I'd almost forgotten how majestic they truly are. The chapel was breathtaking and gorgeous, ornately crafted with precious marble and detailed paintings covering every inch of wall-space. When I entered this room, an inexplainable energy washed over me and I was transported back in time when these rooms were being constructed, and I could feel creativity fill the room with each brush stroke. It never ceases to amaze me how much time a church like this took to complete (and this isn't even that big compared to the famous Duomos in Italy's major cities) and how much back-breaking labor a feat like this required. I remember learning that buildings such as these took around 400+ years to complete, and how patient people had to be to do so. To think that many generations of people had to dedicate time to this is so interesting to me. In our times, there is no way we would build something that took as long as these did, partly because we have technology that allows for shorter construction time, but partly because we have the attention span of a fly. Standing in such beauty reminded me that when you're patient, magnificent and wondrous things of tremendous worth are born.

There is also a time NOT to be patient, such as needing to pull out a growing wisdom tooth that is causing pressure pains all over above my neck. It seems 'wise' to rush to get something like that done, especially in a place where no one works very much during the summer, making appointment openings scarce. I would also advise against being patient in an abusive relationship, or in one where you are waiting for someone to change, because it won't happen; they won't ever change until you change yourself. I agree that life in general needs to be grabbed by the horns, but when it comes to day-to-day life I believe that being patient with most things, with others and especially with yourself is the best and most stress-free way to go. I've seen with my own eyes the importance of living life this way and how negatively being impatient affects our health, mental and physical.

After experiencing all of these separate "signals", I can see how much more patient I've become in my own life within the past year. I used to be so impatient, needing everything to be done asap and hating the things that took forever (like plane/car rides, for example). I used to judge people who didn't do exactly what I wanted them to do right when I wanted them to do it, or simply those who didn't do things they way I thought they should be done. I was uptight all the time and needed to control everyone and everything, and it was exhausting. And now I'm here, light and free and easy-going. The things that used to bother me just don't bother me anymore, and the things and people that used to trigger me don't trigger me anymore. I don't really know how it happened, but I am so grateful because it's made my life so much simpler. I feel like I am floating downstream on the river of life, able to truly appreciate how beautiful my surroundings are, where before I was desperately trying to paddle upstream, making appreciation impossible. In my world, being patient has created peace, beauty and ease in places and in ways I never thought possible.

I know that I am (and always will be) learning how to navigate myself through life, and that I am nowhere near perfect at it. I also know that sometimes life can be really hard, but I've proven to myself that it doesn't always have to be. As it turns out, they didn't teach us that patience is a virtue for nothing ;)