“I can’t
take this stress anymore” She said.
“What
stress??!!” I asked
“All around
me my friends are getting married or having babies...!” She said softly, I could feel
her sadness. She has been through a messy breakup recently.
And may be
that’s why she had frantically called me late in the night. She is my adopted sister, almost
younger than a decade.
“Baby, you
are still very young! Please don’t stress out due to comparisons with
people around you. Each one comes to this life with their own set of experiences and problems. People usually share their happy experiences
very easily but when it comes to problems or bad experiences – They would not be that open to sharing. So you don’t know their journeys in totality.” I thought being logical was the best thing.
“Hmmm”, her
voice clearly indicating cynicism.
I knew I
had to try harder to make her feel better. “Look at me now, I said, You know I had to wait long till I found my husband. And he is the best thing that happened to me. Very caring, loving and
best of all, very patient with me. I thank God everyday for having him in my life! Likewise, you too will find your mate. When the
time is right, the right person will come along without any doubt. Till then go
with the flow, your patience will pay”
Hearing my
own voice felt so soothing.
I could not believe it; I could be so compassionate
and soothing to my sister but when it comes to my own self – this kindness
totally vanishes. I lose patience. I want the perfect job, the perfect career, the
perfect health, the perfect life. My slip ups make me really angry. I wonder
when did this fascination with perfection start??! In theory, I know perfection is a myth.
Anyway, I would
not want to preach something that I don’t follow myself. So, the day I heard
myself say the words “go with the flow, your patience will pay” was the day I resolved
to follow my own f***ing advice.
Patience is
a virtue and can’t be imbibed suddenly out of the blue. But It’s also exactly what
we should have in these uncertain times. Hence, I humbly offer the new mantra
of my life “Patience with myself, Patience with others and finally Patience
with our circumstances.” Sometimes I fail at it badly, sometimes I outshine my
own expectations.
But one has to keep trying, right?
