patience

"patience is a virtue." as a kid, that was always just some stupid generic saying my parents would throw at me when i couldn't receive instant gratification. but now that i am older and wiser, im starting to understand that that saying has some validity to it. i'm beginning to understand that because i'm waiting.

i'm waiting to finally see my best friend for the first time in about a month. i'm waiting for a letter from a certain missionary. i'm waiting for spring break to finally be here. i'm waiting for winter to be over. i'm waiting on myself to decide what i want to do with my life. i'm waiting for my sister to finally make me an aunt. i'm waiting for things to get better. i'm waaaaaaaaaiting......

it seems like i have been waiting for these things for FOREVER, and still they aren't here yet. i thought i was going to lose my mind until the other night when i read this conference talk with kim and allie (two of my amazing roommates).
http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/continue-in-patience?lang=eng
if you don't want to take the time to read this talk, at least get this:
"Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can--working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our heart are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

i can't really put into words how perfect this talk was and is for me. it really opened my mind and heart and answered a few "whys?". all in all, if i can wait for these things with patience, i am becoming a better person.

i look back on the things i waited for in the past. waiting for christmas to come. sitting in the car waiting to get to our destination. waiting for school to get out. waiting for a phone call. waiting to hear news. waiting for a test score. waiting for a family trip to come. waiting to graduate high school. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting.

and each one of those things finally came.

some of those times i was waiting i enjoyed. i was still able to recognize and appreciate all the good things around me and be happy. other times i was too worried about whatever i was waiting for and why wasn't it here yet? when would the time finally come? why can't it be here NOW? in short, i was impatient. which is to be expected from an imperfect human being. but during my impatience in waiting for the future to come, im sure i was missing out on some of the joys of the moment.

now, im not saying it is even possible to enjoy each and every moment of your life. some moments aren't enjoyable, no matter who you are, because that's just how life is, and that's just how life is meant to be. but im sure everyone will find the time in their life when they will realize they could try a little harder to be a little happier. i know i realize that often.

"when there's traffic, keep on jamming."

"today is a gift, which is why it's called the present."

"life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."

"every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back."

"the sun will come out tomorrow."

"patience is a virtue."

cliche? yeah. true? absolutely.

so this is for everyone who is waiting. whether you're waiting for your work shift to end, waiting to hear good or bad news, waiting for that certain person to finally ask you out, waiting to make the right decision, waiting for change, waiting to see someone you miss, or just waiting for tomorrow to come. if you aren't sure if it's coming, remember it will if it's supposed to. if it's something you know will come, every day you're one day closer. remember it's coming. and in the meantime, enjoy yourself.

-kandi