'Patience is a virtue?' Really?
Hello, my friends in Oneness,
We've all heard the phrase. We know of the implied meaning behind it. From childhood, we've been spoon-fed and educated on the many benefits of learning patience and applying it in our daily lives. I get it. I've even used it to help us understand a very specific element of Oneness! (more on that to come). But do I practice what I preach? Hell no. So, before I delve into the benefits of this popular phrase, allow me to share why it's so difficult for me.
"If you're on time, you're late"
This has been my mentality throughout my entire adult life. I guess it became a mantra early on in my Wall Street career. Working in the financial industry, and especially in the financial district in Manhattan will do that. I knew that one of the many demands of my job was to be on time and be reliable. No matter if I was commuting from Jersey City in my early days, or from Monmouth County in the latter days of my career, I was never late. I prided myself in that fact, and it carried over to my personal life as well. I'm never late for appointments, parties, gigs, jobs, or gatherings of any kind. But it is from this self-induced habit of mine that I also became insanely impatient. I hate waiting. I hate it more when people make me wait. I get pissed when certain events don't go according to my timetable. Here's my most recent example.
From Patient (n) to patient (adj)
My journey as a throat cancer patient, now recovering from extensive, and aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments has been life-altering, to say the least. As my body does its best to find its way back to normal, I am blessed and cursed at the same time to become patient. All that I have to gauge my recovery is what my team of doctors and fellow patients have shared regarding a potential timetable. What I have heard is that recovery can take anywhere from three to six months after treatments are completed. That's a pretty large spread if you ask me. I completed my treatments on March 1, so to date I am now entering my third month. I have seen and experienced certain levels of healing that have definitely made me happy, but I am still in need of my trusted suction device, to clear my throat and feeding tube. I'm entering my fifth month of living with a feeding tube, as I haven't eaten solid food since New Year's Day. Folks, I'm Dolores Rongo's son. My entire life has been centered around eating amazingly delicious Italian meals. Yeah, it's safe to say that I'm ravenous, and cannot wait to eat solid food once again! So, do you get why I'm impatient? Of course, you do, and it's not just the food. I feel like I've been imprisoned from my own life throughout this ordeal as I pray for the day when things get back to normal for me.
"Patience is always preceded by Acceptance"
As I referenced in the first paragraph, this is where a very specific element of Oneness comes into play. As many of us struggle with patience (yours truly included), it is beneficial to understand the concept of 'acceptance' from a spiritual perspective. I like to say that acceptance is not just agreeing with the events and outcomes in our lives, but seeing them through the eyes of Oneness. Oneness teaches us that 'there are no accidents in a perfect universe', and that life is not right or wrong, 'life just is'. When we fully embrace these spiritual truths, acceptance becomes attainable. And when acceptance becomes part of the foundation that we build our lives upon, patience becomes a natural occurrence.
I'll meet you in "Patienceville"
So, to my fellow impatient friends out there, please re-read the prior paragraph. No matter how impatient you may be, know that the cause is tied to your ego, which wants to keep you feeling separate from your spirit. Know that acceptance, in its truest form, can remove undo stress from your life, and by all means, help you to become a more patient person. Let's make a pact. As I continue to recover and heal, I promise to remind myself of the many benefits acceptance can add to my life, if you'll do the same and I'll meet you in 'Patienceville'.
In Oneness,
Danny
'That Oneness Guy'
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