Waiting versus Patience

When I first participated in Silverman, a full distance triathlon, in November 2005, I was fortunate enough to have “perfect” conditions. By perfect conditions, I mean the sun was out, the temperature felt just right, and most importantly, there was absolutely no wind to battle on the swim, bike, or run.

This year, I participated in Silverman again and I was counting on these “perfect” conditions. During my training, I would think to myself how the race was over for me if there was going to be any wind, because with even the slightest breeze, I felt like I could barely move on the bike. I kept thinking of last year’s race and that “perfect” weather would be in store again. Every time I woke up to the wind howling outside my window, all I wanted to do was stay curled up in bed and wait for the perfect riding weather to arrive. Of course, I ultimately knew that race day weather was an unknown and in order to prepare for this unknown, I had to train hard through these cold, windy days. So, as much as I wanted to stay in bed these cool, gusty mornings, I took that first step out of bed and then onto my bike in order to tackle the wind. The wind was the obstacle I had to conquer in order to feel prepared for the unknown weather that could occur race day, and it took patience of both mind and body to train through the windy days. I wanted perfect conditions, but I knew I could not just wait for the windy days to pass during my training. I needed patience of both mind and body in order to be best prepared for the unknown weather for Silverman 2006.

The idea of having the patience to work through the unknowns of race day instead of just waiting for the perfect day to come relate directly to every day life. Challenges and obstacles constantly try to block us in the process of reaching our goals and we often find ourselves in situations and places we never expected to be. However, when these challenges do occur we must continue to explore the boundaries, delve through the barriers, and discover new paths to take. We must have patience with our mind and our body to explore and learn the way to break through the barriers and to work through the challenges before us. We cannot just wait for our perfect day or our perfect dream to come about; we must personally take the initiative to move through the process to get there. Conditions are not always perfect but this does not mean that you do not try and you do not perform.

Likewise, if you just wait for the end to come, you end up missing the process and the journey to get to your goal. By having patience of mind and body to work through challenges, when you finally do meet your goals and your dreams, you can fully appreciate the journey it took to achieve your goal. Silverman 2006 ended up being one the windiest days I had seen. The water was choppy on the swim and the bike had 50 miles of headwind. Yes, it was hard, but because I had had the patience to work through the windy days during my training, I was confidant on race day that I could handle the wind. And I did. With these “bad” weather conditions, I ended up beating my previous year’s time (which occurred during “perfect” conditions) by over an hour and twenty minutes. Patience with mind and body while tackling obstacles in my course enabled me to reach my goal of finishing my second full distance triathlon at a time much faster than my first. I am sure that had I just waited for the perfect days to come during my training, I would have done much more poorly. But I had not waited. I had patience and ended up enjoying the entire journey to finish the way I did.

So, why do people wait? Why do people wait for their goals and dreams to just happen. Is it because of fear? Fear of change? Fear of breaking away from comforts? Is it fear of the unknown? Perhaps these are valid fears, but I believe that having the courage to be patient during hard times can get you through the challenges. In the words of Rollo May, “courage is not the absence of despair, but rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.” Don’t wait for an unknown tomorrow. Have the courage to make the unknowns possible by tackling them today with perseverance and patience.

-Becky Meldrum, Triathlete, Soul Acrobat

Finding Love in a World Where Hate Makes the Headlines

Watching the news and reading the newspaper, I often find that accounts of hate, abhorrence and/or crime seem to make the headlines while stories of love and unity are seldom the focal point of news-reporting media. It seems that prime time could be called crime time, and I question if it has become impossible for love to become more popular than the negative accounts that are so popularly reported. However, at this time of year, we also begin to get overwhelmed with images of hearts and chocolate and roses as Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. While many see February 14th as a bit of a Hallmark holiday, I believe it is still an important holiday because of the simple idea that it celebrates love, and perhaps, for just one day, love can take the limelight.

During this season of valentines and roses, I encourage you to help keep love in the spotlight by celebrating the many forms of love that exist. For example, celebrate the wonderful love for a significant other while also honoring the love you have for your mother. Take pleasure in doing what you love, whether it is painting or riding your bike. Associate yourself with objects you adore, such as dogs or flowers. Even though people can distinguish between these different forms of love, I like to think that they are simply all a form of positive energy that is felt from deep within the soul. When you do something you really enjoy or share a moment with someone for whom you care deeply, this energy is released and a union is experienced. Love then, as a union of energy felt between people or between people and objects or activities, can spread.

This February 14th, you can do your part to release love into this world by keeping it simple. Celebrate love by doing something that releases that warm glow of energy from deep within your soul and then share that experience with someone; read a book out loud with a person who shares your dreams, turn off your TV and dance to the music, give a rose (or even just a smile) to a stranger on the street. Share your love with someone else and in return, savor the love that someone shares with you. If we all release just a little bit of love into this world and openly receive love that is given to us, perhaps we will find that it is possible for love to become the center of our attention.

-Becky Meldrum, Soul Acrobat