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Waiting is the hardest part
Boating on the Great Lakes – so far – has been such an adventure! It is cold for 6 months out of the year, and we have to wait for the warmer spring and summer months to venture out onto the lake. You can’t even book online to stay at Michigan marinas until June 1st!
This means we have to be patient throughout the cold winter season. Patience is not a naturally occurring characteristic. Like every 3 year old child, we have to be taught patience, the ability to wait for something to happen.
Boredom and Worry
When thinking about patience, idleness is surely an enemy. There are many distractions available at our fingertips these days. It is easy to ‘check out’ and scroll through feeds on social media or veg on the couch watching TV and wasting time.
Or perhaps we engage in these activities to escape the worry of what’s to come. We can’t deal with the unknowns so we run away.
The day you plant the seed is not
— UNKNOWN
the day you eat the fruit.
Make a Plan
Kara and I try not to let ourselves get bored. If there is nothing to do, we create something. As soon as SV Zeke E Boy was on the hard, we made a plan. (Kara loves lists!) We had plans for the winter boat projects, plans for our health and wellness, plans for family gatherings and more!
There was so much to do that we didn’t get everything done this winter, but we’ll keep working on it and try again next year.
Patience is not passive; on the contrary,
— Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
it is active; it is concentrated strength.
Act
Our goal was to get to work as soon as possible – even in the cold. When it’s warm, we want to be sailing on the lake – not working on projects. Although the winter was milder than most, there were still moments of lockdown cold. We rested with cozy fires, delicious meals and fun movies, but we still dreamed of the future – talking about plans, sharing thoughts and encouraging each other.
We live in an extraordinary time where you can learn anything for very little expense. We watched videos online learning about sailing and software. Our library system is also a valuable resource to leverage for learning.
Learning is the process of living a worthwhile life – it is good to be continuously learning. If you feel that you have already arrived, there is no room for change – or growth.
Patience is not the ability to wait but the
— Joyce Meyer,
ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.
Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind
It is interesting when you work on having more patience – with yourself and with others – there are other qualities that go hand in hand. Things like gratitude, contentment, peace, and kindness are just a few that also increase. Just think, if I was patient but angry to others around me, it won’t take long before I end up very lonely. I’m definitely not an expert on patience. Just like learning to cruise on the Great Lakes, I’m learning this too.
Work in progress
We are excited about this season. We have many skills to grow in. We get to practice things that we did last year and try to get better. We hope to do new things we have never done before, and overcome our fears. We may be successful at some and fail in others, but learning to get up, dust ourselves off and try again is key.
How we respond in the moment brings joy to the process – even in failure. And when things do go well, we can celebrate together. Learning patience is just another part of our journey.
Tell Us What You Think
What about you? How do you build your patience muscles? We want to get better, so please share your feedback and comments.
– Kyle from Zeke Life
Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!
