Patience has never been one of my virtues. I was forced to develop it. And now it’s a way of life.
Last week, it saved my life.
I was the first car at a robot, and I have developed the habit of being a bit slow to take off instead of speeding off. It’s Mzansi after all. You never know if another vehicle will whizz past or a pedestrian will attempt to sprint across the road. But, of course the impatient and agitated driver, behind me, who could wait for even a milli-second, slammed their hooter.
I looked into my rear view mirror and suddenly something flashed before my eyes. It was a van; a van bulleting through a red traffic light. I was sparred from what could have been a serious accident, and so was the driver behind me, because I was slow and cautious. It’s as simple as that.
This incident reminded me of just how much I have changed, and why we should be amenable to the processes of learning and unlearning.
I was always a busy body. On most days you would literally find me buzzing from one project to the next fuelled by ridiculous milligrams of caffeine. My body somehow thrived on it. I knew no other way.
But the lockdown of March 2020 changed everything. It set in motion a process where my body literally caved in, probably because it was forced to slow down. By July I was hospitalised and diagnosed with an autoimmune condition affecting my blood. I was discharged the next month, after strong treatment and with a lifetime dose of daily medication. That’s the short of it, but it really is a long story.
To ensure that my health remains on track, I have had to practice patience, on many levels – with myself, and everyone around me. With patience comes a sense of acceptance – you realise there are many things you cannot change. And so you work on the things you can change, in your own pace. More often that not, what you can change is your approach and attitude, your responses and reaction.
Someone whom I had not seen for years remarked that I am much calmer now than when they had first met me. An astute observation, I’d say. Slowing down certainly brings a calmness of spirit.
But, slowing down does not mean that I’m less productive or passionate. In fact, the opposite is true. When you work in the creative industry, as I do, slowing down allows you to come up with content that you may miss if you’re caught up in the rat-race. Some of my best ideas spring to mind when I watch the sun set, listen to soothing music, have a meaningful conversation with someone or when I actually take the time to smell my coffee before drinking it!
In these moments, I realise that amid the chaos around us, the true beauty of life reveals itself when we slow down.