Believe Manifesto

Have you ever felt impatient? You see the line at the DVM and you nearly come undone. You pull in to the shop and you have 10 minutes before you need to be in the car on the way to pickup the kids at school and the lady in front of you has a million questions about the stain on her silk blouse at the dry cleaners. There are two people working at your favorite coffee shop covering the counter, making the drinks, and getting your food out…but you can’t believe how long it takes them to bring you your latte! You have work to get done, you don’t have time for this!

I think we have all been there at one time or another. We are ANNOYED that we have to wait. I have been this person so many times. But, I realized something a few months ago. We don’t like waiting, but we also don’t like when something goes wrong, breaks, or wasn’t what we wanted. How many times have we been excited to drink our coffee that came out in three minutes only to realize they made you the wrong thing? How many times have you decided you can’t wait and buy that nice clock locally and you buy it from online so it can be there the next day and then it breaks in two weeks? How many times have we rushed through a process because we don’t have time to read through the fine print, only to realize you signed up for something you didn’t want, need, or realize what you signed up for?!

I realized that the WAY we wait is so important. If we want something to be made the right way and made to last, we have to be patient and be ok with the process. If we want the good bread or coffee or cake, we have to wait patiently for it to be made with care. If we want to make good decisions about jobs, subscriptions, volunteering, or service projects we need to take things slow, get all the information, and make an informed decision about whether this is a good fit for the season we are in.

Taking the time to wait and doing so patiently can be a gift. So often we are annoyed by the waiting that we get on our phones and ignore everyone and everything around us. I thought back on special things I had seen or heard when I waited patiently without distractions. I once heard the most hilarious conversation at a car wash because instead of being on my phone I just sort of sat there. I have seen little kids do the most hilarious things that were sweet memories I’ll never forget. I have had precious moments with strangers who needed a kind smile and a hello because my face wasn’t buried in a screen. These things can be a gift to you and a gift to someone else.

I always think about how sweet the end result is when making cinnamon rolls. You have to mix it up and get the dough kneaded and ready. Then it has to rise for at least an hour, then be rolled out, prepared, rolled up, cut up, has to rise again and then baked. This isn’t a fast process. But for that sweet hot roll, it is worth the work and the wait.

Being patient is so hard. We live in such a fast paced society and taking the time to slow down and enjoy the process takes work. It takes breaking old habits. It takes being very mindful of your thoughts. But it is worth it. Enjoy the wait friends.