This Dharma Thought is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell with the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets Mondays at 7PM.
As I work with visitors in the STEAMlab at the Montana Science Center, parents will often look at me with combined incredulity and admiration and say, “You are so patient!” The implication is that the attention I gave their child takes a lot of effort and arises from some special talent. I appreciate the compliment, but I experience patience more as a natural fruit of the practice, rather than enforcing a particular discipline on myself. Meeting each kid where they are, being present for them as they struggle a bit, and finding joy in their success, all come from nurturing mindfulness in general. Patience arises from not being in a hurry, and when I have to ask another child to wait while I finish, they can do so because they see I will give them my attention when their turn comes. Do you find yourself being patient when it might seem hard? How might you slow down enough to discover patience with ease?