Patience, Child

Look! Justin is walking on water and the ancient Elwha River is patiently waiting for the dam to be removed so that it can, again, flow freely.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

I think I've always had an interesting relationship with patience.

Recently, work at Johnston Farm has consisted of weeding for entire days. Last week, it was on my knees in the asparagus patch pulling chickweed and dandelions. This week, its pulling hundreds of giant decomposing brussel sprout and broccoli plants--the broccoli has developed a coating of bright orange fungus-slime that makes them especially difficult to to pull. Seeing it written, it sounds kind of arduous, but its been quite relaxing and satisfying.
When I worked at EarthCorps, I spent 2 years - give or take - in giant patches of blackberry or ivy, attempting to eradicate them with my crews. Some days were tougher than others, but over all, days passed quickly and with great joy.

I embrace the weeding with patience, I believe, because I see how the tedious tasks fit into a bigger picture. At the farm, we are preparing the land to be planted in the Spring. At EarthCorps, we were giving the native vegetation a fighting chance or teaching folks about Northwest ecosystems.

Alternatively, I am terrible at frying eggs because I get my skillet too hot in attempt to get them done quickly. I never wait for muffins to cool before trying to remove them from their tins; and I never chill cookie dough when recipes call for it.

I think I treat my own life's progress more like an egg to be fried than a garden to be weeded. I've been in Port Angeles for about 7 months now and I sometimes get overwhelmed by the facts that I don't have a full time job (let alone a profession) or a tight group of friends or all of the kinks worked out of sharing a home with Justin. I would say, I lack patience.

But when I step back and look, my little garden plot is looking pretty good! I have a job in a time when many folks don't; I have a lovely community of friends and family (albeit spread far and wide) that has taken years to build (not months); and I have a home and partner that are warm, cozy, and nourishing.
So, patience, it seems, is about perspective....and my eggs are improving.

On a lighter note, here is one of my colored pencil drawings from my "nature" art class.