The Art of Patience

Recently, my sister visited from Texas so we could attend a fundraiser featuring the Duggars, the family from the TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting." Honestly, I have never seen a full episode of the show, but figured, "Hey, it's a good cause!" Throughout the event, I was quite impressed with the family as a whole and came to really respect them for their positive, enthusiastic attitudes and commitment to their beliefs.

Side Note: I was quite surprised at the reactions of some of my friends when they found out I saw the Duggars. I understand that the Duggars live an "extreme" lifestyle (why else would they be on TV?) with 19 children, homeschooling, a family orchestra & choir, and very conservative Christian beliefs. Some consider these to be negative characteristics, but they are raising their children to be honest, dependable, caring, and respectful members of society, & I really don't think they deserve prejudice or ridicule, especially from those who generally consider themselves to be "tolerant" members of society.

Anyways, the Duggars have embraced many values into their lifestyle that are generally great practices. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a load of life lessons from a fundraiser. I was expecting to meet some minor celebrities, but instead got challenged to be more purposeful about things in my life.

• Praise people 10 times as much as you criticize or correct them.
• Use your given skills & talents to help & support other people.
• Make your family a priority.
• Take pride in your work.
• Turn off the TV (yes, they own one for DVDs) and spend some time investing in relationships with people.

One point that stuck out to me in particular was their emphasis on patience. We most often think of patience as a trait in dealing with other people, for example not lashing out in anger, but taking a moment before responding when frustrated. However, patience came up several more times throughout the event.

• Be patient with your money. Don't rush to buy something, especially on credit. Be sure you can afford something & its associated costs before buying. And relax about it. Life will really be okay if you don't have that thing RIGHT NOW.
  
  
• Be patient with your love relationships. People jump into a lot without considering all the angles of a relationship.
  
  
• Be patient with your life decisions. If you're of the religious bend, pray about it. If you're not of the religious bend, spend some peaceful time thinking about it (or try praying about it & see how it goes?)

And benefits of patience? It tends to move issues from the forefront of your mind to the back burner since it's not urgent. For me, that's less stress & less time spent thinking about repercussions, fallout, and recovery. Patience allows more time for preparation. Patience is a lot more easy-going & thoughtful than I previously envisioned. I guess I always viewed patience as one of those "holier-than-thou" things that old people & nuns have. Na, patience is an excellent stress fighter.

And turns out you can learn something from everyone. :)