Embracing Patience

As a child, I remember that I was quite impatient. Now, when I look at my son, I wonder that he is pretty much like I was when I was a child. My attention span was low, and I often found it challenging to wait for things. Waiting for my turn, whether in games or daily activities, seemed like an eternity. I wanted instant gratification and had little tolerance for delays. That was probably the reason I wasn't great at creative arts like painting, stitching, knitting, etc. I preferred short stories to read, novels was a big no, because I can't read it in one go. We used to get the monthly subscription based story books. One of the stories in those books would come in series. I always skipped the story that had "to be continued in next edition" written at the end. Because I didn't have the patience to wait for next month. To my frustration, my friends used to discuss about only that one story which I used to skip. 

With passage of time, things seem to have changed automatically. Fast forward to my life as a parent,  parenthood served as a crash course on patience. One of the earliest lessons came during those sleepless nights when my son would cry, and it felt like time stood still. Learning to comfort him without succumbing to frustration became a skill I never knew I needed. As my son transitioned from infancy to toddlerhood and now as a pre-teen, I encounter new challenges that demand a patient approach. His boundless energy and curiosity, often pushes boundaries of my patience levels that I hadn't known before—explaining things repeatedly, redirecting behavior, and allowing him to explore within safe limits.

Reflecting on my own childhood impatience, I now appreciate the seeds of patience that were planted in my early teenage lovingly by my parents in the form of art of meditation, self reflection and self improvement. And now,  as I guide my son through the trials and triumphs of childhood, I am continually reminded that Parenthood, with all its tests and tribulations, serves as a profound teacher, imparting lessons that extend far beyond the realm of parenting.

Musing on the shift from avoiding "to be continued" stories to reading the novels and books and navigating the challenges of life in general with calm and composed approach (while there still is a lot of scope of improvement), I feel grateful to the family influence and parenthood that taught me numerous lessons. 

Painted this today with patience. 😇

Love❤