The Power of Waiting
Growth cannot be rushed. (Sunday Letter)
I’ve been thinking about the power of waiting.
In a garden, growth arises out of patience. Each day a bit of nurturing, some weeding, but mostly: giving growing things the time they need.
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In my life, as with yoga, the most profound changes come from consistent effort.
I fold forward, tight. Bit by bit, day by day, I eventually touch my toes. I go further. One day I am resting my forehead on my knees. Bit by bit, slow by slow.
These days, when I am in my deepest forward fold, head to knees, I kiss each. I was told once that this is good luck. I do it as a reminder that I can. I do it as a reminder of the path I took to get here.
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Forcing my body, like forcing the garden, never works. A plant fed too much too soon shrivels. A body pushed too far too soon tears.
It is in the waiting, in the allowing, that transformation occurs.
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Waiting is not a passive retreat from action. It takes effort, more than power-driving. It is a choice to trust in growth.
If I can embrace patience, life’s natural energy will bring about the most powerful change.
– from the mountain
Consider:
Can I embrace patience today?
Reading:
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
Audrey Hepburn
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“Let patience have her perfect work.”
James 1:4 (KJV)
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