Patience

26 March 2014 This card evokes a number of different feelings for me. An echo of someone saying 'Patience, patience' - probably my mother or father. I expect I say it too. People have told me that I am 'very patient', though it is not a description I would use of myself though. I know how inwardly impatient I often can be, with myself and others. As time has gone on, I have learned more about mindfulness and being in the moment. Realising that my impatience can lead me to miss many wonderful treasures and experiences. If I am rushing somewhere worrying about the time, do I notice the wild flowers in the hedgerow? When I gulp down my food in a hurry to get on, do I taste the flavours and appreciate the goodness it contains? Sharing a conversation and keen to get my say in - do I truly hear the other person, not only the words they are saying but the unspoken nuances? It is interesting that the word 'patient' has two meanings: being patient, and being a patient, i.e. being treated for an illness or injury. The dictionary says it derives from 'one who suffers'; whereas the state of being patient is: "endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties" (Wikipedia). Reflecting on this, it feels to me that being patient in a positive, productive way, is to be able to simply 'be with' whatever is going on, without judgement. My experience of being a patient receiving treatment for cancer, has been a learning process to be able to do this in what may be difficult circumstances. I don't know if I was a very positive patient, or a very patient one. Over time this experience has had a great positive influence on my life - something that is likely to appear in my thoughts frequently this year, being as it is the twentieth anniversary of my diagnosis. --------------------------------------------- Returning after a break to write some more here, I hear the phrase 'all in good time'. Everything has it's right time. I may be keen, impatient even, for the spring to arrive, for the buds to break, the blossom to shine out. Even if I keep plants in a greenhouse to develop early, there is only a certain amount that can be done to speed this process. In good time, each plant will grow, the leaves will appear and the flowers will open. In terms of my own unfolding, of new ideas unfurling and developing - even though I may like to think I am 'in charge' of my own creative processes, I am beginning to appreciate that there is an ebb and flow here as well. Everything has a time in which it may be sitting dormant, or developing unseen, hidden away in my sub-conscious. Just as the daffodil bulbs swell beneath the soil, sending roots down for sustenance before the green shoots appear above the earth, so this may be happening for me too. This tree fern photo seems a good image to share again here. Taken in my garden last year, a little later in the spring than this, it not only illustrates the gentle and steady unfurling of nature, it also contains soft shades of green. On my screen the background colour of this card is a soft blue-green, in the printed card on my desk a darker forest green - all natural shades that I can feel calm and peaceful sitting with while all proceeds around me 'in good time'. As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments.  If you would like to own a set of cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page. Thank you dear friends for visiting with me again this week and sharing my musings. Until next time, with love, Mary *if you have any difficulty accessing the 'blogspot' service, you can also read here on the Daring to Blossom website, or find 'Dare to Blossom Life Coaching' on Facebook.