Saintly Patience

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Patience- a mesmerizing quality. My dad and I have often observed, discussed, and envied my grandma for her calm-yet-firm composure. It is a quality that I personally felt I always could work on.

In  The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote: 

“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” 

I am more of how Lewis Caroll describes the old Crab's daughter in Through The Looking Glass- 

"enough to try the patience of an oyster!" 

All the beauty lies in being patient, and those who can master themselves and be so bear the fruits of happiness. Patience is second-nature to some, and thankfully, for others, it is a quality that can be honed by practice. Patience is also a quality that makes other people listen to you better, give you the power of command without you ever demanding it, and keep you on a high pedestal of respect by all around you. 

The thing about patience is that it is a quality that is not uniform even in the same person. I have a lot of patience in me when I am teaching someone about a concept, or when I am trying to learn something. But, I may have no patience when it comes to some other activities, for example, listening to others when they speak. 

A conscious decision to be patient is all that takes. I wish I could say that, but it's not as easy. To those of us who tend to get irritable easily- patience is a habit that you gain over time. And, till then, we could probably try some of these. 

1. We almost always know when an argument is approaching. Prepare yourself to be calm, come what may.
2. Drink enough water.
3. We need not answer to anybody, or point out anyone’s faulty argument at that moment itself. Take time, think about it, and get back to them.
4. If it is an email/text that tips you off, then don’t reply immediately after the first read. Give it some time, read it again before you pen your thoughts.
5. If you do lose your patience, apologize. 

My grandma is way up the scale, but I hope I get somewhere close to that some day!