July 29

PATIENCE MONTH: DAY 29: “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

I love the Pooh books. They have such rich and wonderful characters. They have stood the test of time. The characters were developed in the 1920s and have been favorites for many children and withstood the Disney treatment into vivacious characters in film and cartoons.

Pooh is the best example of Patience I can think of. He is slow-moving, likes honey, which is also slow-moving, speaks very slowly, and is never shown to be impatient or stressed. The most he has to say when he is upset is “Oh, bother.” I love that!

He is not the character I most resonate with. Most of you know who that is. I have been called Tigger since I was about 2 years old. My mother’s family is British, so I knew the Pooh stories before Disney got hold of them. They were my favorites then, too.

I love the idea of patience. It is the diametrical opposite of my way of being in the world. I walk fast, I talk fast, I drive really fast, I type really fast, I am not a slow and easy Pooh-type of person. But, I find that when I can just let myself BE, I am so terrifically happy in the world.

So, I try to surround myself with those who are more settled and patient. They keep me grounded in a new and somewhat different energy than my own.

Now, I can also tell you that I have seen how my nature as a racer has informed Step 7. I sometimes am curt or abrupt with others, seeming to be rude and anything but the gracious woman I strive to be. I want to practice kindness and consideration, and sometimes just go too fast to do that.

So, Pooh will be my example of who I will work toward today. That is always fun, because I then feel like I am two personalities at the same time. Well, that is really good for me. I always know there are more than one people inhabiting this body!

Aging is going to bring some slow-down-ness to my life. I can already see how I move slower when I hike and walk, because there are aches and pains; you know how that goes. And, if you don’t, you will. It is the process that I know will give me brakes.

We will all “get there” as this quote states. There is no “there” to go. We are ON the Road of Happy Destiny, not TO it. And it is a good and righteous road. I am happy, mostly with the travelling companions that have been brought to the road. I love them dearly.

I just had a vision of writing a book like “Canterbury Tales” that describes, in rich detail, this “pilgrimage” to Mecca we are enjoying today. It would be a great book! Because I love characters so much, I would really love to develop some of my current (and past) travelling companions. Uh-oh! Sounds like another project I may have to explore!