I have a confession. My patience has been contaminated by growing up in a day and age where we expect to have things now (Admit it, you perhaps got annoyed that it took more than a second for my blog to load? I sure did.). Thus, I lack patience a wee bit, and always want to see the finished product.
I am undoubtedly growing in many patience related ways. For example, I no longer read the last page of the book when I want to see how it ends. I wait and read. It’s much better that way.
Owning this home has been a ride on the patience express. It’s been quite a debilitating ride for the most part, with a lot of screeching stops and half-hearted starts. I kept starting a house project and ending up in the fetal position cringing because I could not see an end in sight. I couldn’t picture anything being finished- ever. There was always more to do. And if it looked done, by golly something would pop up and I’d realize it wasn’t.
Until one day I made myself quit envisioning a finished product. I quit trying to imagine my home as good as your home. I quit trying to make it all happen overnight and took a deep breath and began my new approach to sanity (which has caused my good husband to let out his deep breath in a sigh of relief). It came in one word and this little word has made all the difference in the past few months:
Progress.
Now, don’t snicker or roll your eyes. For a perfectionist, this was a big moment for me. To let go of what I expected of myself, and see that I was making progress. To quit failing.
I didn’t have to change every single outlet in the house one afternoon while the kids napped. I didn’t have to fail to meet an impossible goal.
Perhaps I changed just one outlet today (Yes, I am beaming at pride at my new found “I-can-do-electrical-work-and-not-burn-down-the-house” skill.). I made…progress!
Perhaps I picked up a paint scraper and went to town for 20 minutes on that stupid, rotten mess of a door frame. Progress.
Perhaps I spent the day playing with my children, took a nap, and all I did was find time to replace an outlet cover. Progress was made.
Perhaps today I spent the morning sanding one spot on the bathroom wall for an hour. Progress.
And as I let that word sink into my brain and heart, I could feel it working it’s magic in other parts of my life.
It’s a really healthy word for me and I’m replacing the thought that “this is impossible” with the thought, “I’m making progress.”
And now you’re thinking…well this fancy word, “progress” that she keeps saying, where’s the proof? Where’s the pictures?
Patience folks. Patience.
Sometimes when you’re making progress you don’t have time to clean the kitchen. Hehe.
