I'm always coming up with book ideas. My latest is one I'd like to pitch to the Deseret Book Publishing folks -- "Give me strength: A mother's journey toward gaining patience."
I'm thinking about writing a book on patience because it looks like I'll never be able to write one about weight loss. Yes, I've lost weight, but it keeps coming back. Which gives me more opportunities to practice patience.
Should Deseret Book decide to publish my patience memoir, my family members will faint. I'm gaining patience, but I'm not 100% there yet. (Beans says I'm patient 50% of the time. On a good day I bet I hit 65%.)
Oooh, I just had a "what if" moment. What if patience were a physical characteristic? What if others could tell is you were patient just by looking at you? How much harder would I work on gaining patience? And what would a patient person look like?
Prior to my own experiment with gaining patience I thought that patient people were born that way -- like mothers who have over six children. They always seem to be so patient. I told myself that they came that way -- patient. Now I know better. No one comes 100% patient. We all come as babies, and babies are not known for their patience. Granted, some individuals have calmer dispositions than others, but everyone chooses whether they'll be patient or not.
What do you think about patience? Is it a realistic aspiration? What percent patient are you? What are physical characteristics of patient people? (Serene facial expression, low heart rate, low blood cortisol which leads to better health?) What are physical characteristics of impatient people? (High blood pressure, angry expressions, snappy, high stress and high cortisol levels?)
What's your best tip for being patient?
I'm off to pick, clean and cook beets from the garden. Hubby and I will eat them. The others will complain. I'll smile and think, "Patience, patience."
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2 comments:
I just had this conversation with my mother the day. She still doesn't view herself as patient, but I have always thought she was one of the most patient people I know. I know I'm more patient than I used to be, but that's a small measuring stick. I've decided that an integral part of acquiring patience is learning tolerance, surrending some control, and constantly living through experiences that try my limits. I'm pretty sure I don't look very patient when I'm squeezing my eyes shut, mumbling under my breath and biting my tongue, but I hope it's these actions that will eventually get me to where I want to be.
Nothing like entertaining the idea of writing a book on patience to cause one to lose it. (My oldest two were bickering once again.) I'll keep trying. And trying.
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