When cooking a meal, whether in the oven or on the stove, there is a specific time we must wait for the food to be ready. Additionally, for some foods, there is a certain temperature that must be maintained. When hunger strikes, it feels like nothing cooks fast enough, especially if it’s our favorite dish. However, when we don’t allow the food enough time to cook properly, it may not taste good or we may get sick. We must apply patience in everything we do in life, or we might end up with a tummy ache. There are proverbs and children’s books that teach us about the importance of patience. Yet, patience seems to be the last tool we use in a sticky situation. We thrash around, we curse each other, and make things worse until we have no choice but to wait. Every lesson we learn in this life has to do with being patient and allowing things to develop.
The best athletes are those who allow the play to develop before taking action based on what they are given. A tiger must first be a cub before it can hunt, and the willow tree was once a seed. Even though we say “patience is a virtue,” we often practice impatience. In every corner of our society, we think of ways to make things go faster and faster, to cut corners, and to move ahead rapidly. Yet, all around us, we see the results of patience. The fuel we use took patience to become what it is—a species-transforming resource. We enjoy the fruits of patience, yet we do not exercise it in our own lives. Patience is a must if we are to maintain our sanity, and it’s a skill that must be exercised. Too often, people allow the wave of emotions to overtake them and lose themselves in the process. We must be patient with other people and definitely patient with ourselves. We must allow the flowers to bloom, as they are not as pretty when not allowed to mature.
Sabali yonkote- Patience is worth everything
