I watch her as she continuously checks her surroundings to
make sure she maintains her balance; my mother walks with a cane, thus she walks
very slowly. I am a very patient person,
and I have found ways to help (i.e. getting a shopping cart for her to lean on)
but my 7th day in town, I found myself feeling very impatient with the
amount of time it was taking for her to walk from the car to the store.
I noticed my feelings of impatience, I asked myself why
this was a problem. Why now? Why after 7 days of experiencing how slow she
walks was I feeling impatient at this time?
As I rushed to get a shopping cart for her to lean on (in the hopes of
speeding up her walk from the car to the store), I continued to check in with
myself as to why I was feeling annoyed.
I felt a huge urge to go into the store and wait for her from inside the
store instead of walking next to her.
I resisted the urge to wait for her from inside the store,
but I could feel my impatience mounting!
When I arrived in Ohio, the weather was unusually warm for
December in Ohio. I enjoyed the fall
like weather that hovered around 60 degrees and dipped into the low 50’s at
night. But on this day, 7 days after my
arrival, winter was truly upon us and my California jacket was no match for the
cold Ohio temperatures; it was time to buy myself a winter coat.
I chose a stylish TAHARI black, down filled coat that went
past my knees. Add to that some warm gloves and a fluffy scarf (both purple of
course!!!) and I was ready for the cold weather that had suddenly found its way
to Canton, Ohio!
As we stepped up to pay for our purchases, the clerk seemed
rather confused when I asked her to cut the tags off my items, so I could wear
them out of the store. She looked around
as if to say, “where is the coat you walked in with?” I smiled at her and said, “I just moved here
from California and my jacket is no match for the weather.”
As we walked outside, my mother walking slowly and me all
bundled up in my winter wear, I felt toasty warm and comfortable. It took me a moment to realize that I was no
longer impatient with how slow my mom was walking! That’s when I understood the basis for my
impatience. It wasn’t that I was
impatient with my how slow my mom was walking, it was the fact that I was cold
and uncomfortable.
How many times have you felt frustrated, angry, impatient
or resentful? The problem is never the problem.
Whenever we think a problem exists, it’s usually the end result of several
things we chose to previously ignore.
Had I purchased a coat when I first arrived, I would have been prepared for
the cold weather.
Whenever we feel the urge to take out our frustrations on another
person, we are giving in to negative energy. How we view our circumstances is a choice; we
always have the power to change what we believe is a negative experience into a
positive experience; simply by taking 100% responsibility for every thought,
action or situation we create.
Nancy
Mueller ~ Life Empowerment Sensei
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