A LESSON IN PATIENCE

This week, Jacob and I put an offer in on a house for the very first time! It wasn’t a happy ending, as the seller never responded to our offer (saying we’re bummed doesn’t even cover it, we loved this house), but we’re counting it as a valuable experience nonetheless. Though it’s becoming more difficult to be patient in the waiting.

We’ve been saving money for over a year now (and still have more saving to do), we have looked at countless listings both in Ohio (when we were there) and now here, in Orlando. We’ve been through at least six homes in the last month and nothing is clicking.

Patience has never been my strong suit. I’m a busy body and when I want something, it’s all I can focus on. I fixate and if I’m stuck treading water for too long, I tend to completely exhaust myself. I have felt this week, as though I am getting to that exhaustion point. When we put that offer in, I thought about NOTHING else for three days after that. I even had DREAMS about it.

I know it’s not healthy behavior, and I’m starting to recognize now when I start getting into that mode and I’m trying to slowly reprogram myself into healthier practices. I’ve been mentally writing a list of all the reasons why waiting is beneficial:

• we have time to save more money, to prepare.

• we can do more research to ensure that we settle in the right area and get exactly what we want.

• we can pay off more debt, which will help our credit score.

So far, my list is filled with things of that nature. More of the physical reasons. But this morning, during my morning meditation, I thought of something else…there is an enormous benefit to learning the skill of patience that I have been overlooking. GRATIFICATION.

Most humans are reward driven, right? The end result is so much more satisfying when you’ve worked hard to get it, and how freaking good is it going to feel when we finally have the keys to our very first home?

SO. GOOD. because we have worked our butts off for it.

When I came to this realization, I thought “Duh, Destiny! This door is not opening right away, because you have not learned the lesson that is in front of you!” (gratitude, gratification and p a t i e n c e)

If we got everything we’ve ever wanted, immediately, we would have no appreciation for receiving it and it wouldn’t feel NEARLY as good! And not nearly as fun.

So today, I am thankful for life lessons. I am thankful for waiting. I am thankful for experiences that grow me and shape my human experience, and if you’re reading this and are currently in a period of waiting for something, that you start to ask “what is this experience teaching me?” and you find a lesson in it too!

I know that this will not be the last time that I am given a test of patience; but next time, I just might welcome it!