Patience in a busy, crowded, demanding world is not easy to achieve for us humans. Recently, on a trip to Namibia, I observed the politics of the watering hole visited by elephants, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, ostriches, and springbok – amazingly each animal waited their turn. This was their natural habitat, and one herd of elephants with babies in tow patiently waited their turn nearby till another herd finished. Not jostling to get ahead or be first to drink.
Perhaps the natural rhythm of life in the animal kingdom does not have to include rushing, being first, pushing to get ahead – at least so much of the time, and perhaps when there is plenty of water for all, and no predators nearby.
As I observed this scene, there was stillness, a palpable calmness, a serenity that infused to my own life and spirit.
This time of year, and really any time of year, can be one when we pause, breathe, and recalibrate to how to be patient, wait, share, and exist in a more natural rhythm of life.
