Living more slowly

 I was talking with a friend the other day about how I had read some books on patience with an Eastern philosophy behind them and he said, “I would not have realized that patience is hard for you, but sometimes people are a different way with those they know better.”

Then I thought, you know, overall I think I am making some progress in being more patient. I’m not completely there yet, but the impatience is definitely more subtle these days. (Edit: I typed that, then had a very impatient afternoon.) One thing that is very helpful right now is that summer just finished. During summer I go with the flow a lot. Having a new baby, I am on leave so I have less stressors in my life and am enjoying a slower pace. This allows me more small moments to remember to stop and be fully present in the moment. Really pay attention to what a child (or your spouse) is telling you or showing you. Quiet all other thoughts that try to creep in. Usually those are worries, and we don’t need to worry, right? 

So, being in the moment is one thing to try to help with patience. “But I work outside the home full time and I’m so busy when I get home and on weekends!” you say? You can and should start small. Make the goal super small so you are more likely to have success. Maybe you do this just once a day, every day for a week (or four days out of the week!) with just one person. Once you have success, increase your goal the following week for the number of moments you really pay attention to what another person is telling you for a few minutes. And, if you fail at first, you have an opportunity to practice being patient with yourself! 

Really, I had so many impatient moments yesterday after typing that I was doing better. I guess what I should have said was that God has been sending moments of grace my way recently so that I have been able to handle some situations more calmly. 

The other reason I wanted to write was that yesterday the hymn in the morning prayer of Magnificat had an interesting phrase that I had never heard before: “living altars” to describe us, people. I loved that imagery of myself as a little altar on which to offer sacrifices to God. Here were the verses: 

“Grant us thy truth to make us free,

And kindling hearts that burn for thee,

Till all thy living altars claim

One holy light, one heavenly flame.”