From the Inside Out
GONNA BE ALL RIGHT

You've heard it said, "Hurry up and wait!" But learning to wait calmly is an important part of living.

In this age of high-speed connections and instantaneous results, it helps to remember that the Mayflower made its historic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean at about two miles per hour! How did those early settlers occupy their time as they were waiting to arrive?

Next time you miss a flight, think about her predicament and "hurry up and be patient"! The sooner you're patient, the easier your life will become. When you're patient, you can relax and enjoy the ride.

There is great benefit in learning to wait calmly and creatively. Here is a "waiting checklist" to test your waiting skills:

Do you expect delays, or do they catch you unawares? Do you anticipate those times when you are likely to have to wait?

Do you calmly let your inner motor idle though others around you may be stripping their gears?

Do you welcome unexpected delays as a gift of time, which can be used creatively? Do you use the free time to plan ahead or quietly meditate (to get in touch with your soul)?

Do you prepare for delays? Do you have work or entertainment handy when forced to wait?

How did you do on the exercise? Are you making the most of your waiting time? We will never escape delays, but we can use them creatively. Now is the time to hurry up and be patient!

LEARNING TO WAIT

You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia, he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores.

He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk — you just add water and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice — you just add water and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, 'What a country!'"

We live in a fast-paced world. We drive fast cars. We eat fast food. We live in the fast lane. We want it now.

One old story tells of a judge who was in a benevolent mood as he questioned the prisoner. "What are you charged with?" he asked.

"Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant."

"That's no offense," said the judge. "How early were you doing this shopping?"

"Before the store opened," countered the prisoner.

Few of us will go to those extremes to satisfy our desire to "get it now," but we know what we want and we wish we could have it yesterday. We don't like to wait.

Though there is certainly a place for decisiveness and action, there is also a place for patience. Have you learned when to wait?

Wait for the sunrise ... there will be another day.

Wait for guidance ... learn to be still.

Wait for wisdom ... it will come with experience.

Wait for growth ... it happens in the fullness of time.

Wait and be contented ... it is a secret to inner peace.

There is a time to act, but there is also a time to wait. Learn how to tell what time it is, for great things can happen for those who learn to wait. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it well: "Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."

Patience is an essential quality of a happy life. After all, some things are worth waiting for. We can resent waiting, accept it or even get good at it! But one thing is certain — we cannot avoid it.

A SECRET TO FAILURE

We are not accustomed to waiting. Yet …we all find ourselves waiting from time to time:

You may be waiting for an answer to a difficult problem.
You may be waiting for guidance around a business decision or interpersonal problem.
You may be waiting for a situation to change before you can move ahead.
You may be waiting for somebody else to complete his or her task before you can act.

We are not accustomed to waiting and most of us don't like to wait. We feel helpless.

You may remember how it felt to wait for Christmas when you were a child. I recall one Christmas when I was about four years old. I waited forever for Christmas to come. I couldn't sleep the night before in anticipation. When I awoke Christmas morning I quietly crept downstairs to the large Christmas tree to gaze at the presents there.

We celebrated the holidays with my extended family — grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins, parents, brothers. It was a rule that we waited until everybody was gathered together before presents were passed out. I waited half the morning for the grown-ups to wake up. Then I waited for them to shower, dress and eat. I didn't think I could wait any longer!

When the family was assembled around the tree, it was announced that we would have a special visitor that day…and we would have to WAIT for him to come! I waited some more.

Finally, the visitor arrived. It was Santa Claus. And he said he'd be passing out presents that year. My uncle usually passed out presents, but he didn't seem to be around so I accepted the arrangement without question.

Santa first handed a present to one of my cousins. In our family, we waited for each person to open their gift before the next present was passed out, so I found myself waiting once again. Santa Claus passed a second gift to another cousin. I waited some more. The third went to my grandmother. The next to my brother. Another present was handed to one of the adults to open.

I couldn't stand the waiting any longer. When I thought nobody was looking, I grabbed one of the presents and began to open it. Santa quickly snatched it from me with strong words of reprimand. I was crushed. Other adults chided that I should wait patiently for my turn. I burst into tears, which seemed the only appropriate outlet for my frustration.

I learned two things that Christmas: First, I learned that I did not like to wait patiently. Second, I learned that I did not like Santa Claus. (I BELIEVED in Santa, I just didn't like him!)

How are you at waiting? Waiting is difficult for children, but adults can learn patience.

As I've grown older, I've learned the value of waiting patiently. The great events of life cannot be rushed, and all good things will come to fruition in their own time.

An old proverb says, "Don't pick apples while they are green. When they are ripe, they will fall off the tree."

As I've matured, I've learned that a secret of failure is impatience. I've also learned that Santa is a pretty good guy.

~By Steve Goodier — from Steve's free newsletter
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COTTAGE GROVE, Oregon — Any cat owner who has tried to take a feline swimming probably has the claw marks to show for it. But not Mary Ellen Angel Scribe. The Cottage Grove author of the books Expect Miracles and A Christmas Filled With Miracles and a column called Tips 'n' Tales has five cats that willingly go with her into the backyard pool. Mary Ellen began taking her cats in the water three summers ago as a way to prevent an alarmingly common tragedy, she said, having heard of several cat owners whose animals ventured into a pool without knowing how to get out. "My daughter Ariel, a life guard, swim instructor and EMT, decided to teach our five cats swimming. Ariel held Sabrina firmly and calmly until she felt safe. We walk our cats into the water ... talking to them with love. They were raised with kindness and trust us. As you know not all cats will react this way in water! You hold your cat, they begin to move their front feet in panic to swim to shore. You gently caress them and their fear leaves. They calm down, you can see it in their eyes ... I think it's that they were literally born in my hands, and they trust me," she said. "They know I'm not going to hurt them." Mary Ellen's swimming cats have attracted media attention from all over the world, and the amphibious felines still seem to baffle most cat owners. But these cats won't be entering any Olympic events in the near future since she only takes them into the water a few times each summer for their own benefit. Mary Ellen said the cats have come a long way since the first time she took them swimming, when each was understandably uneasy. "We just held them, and we didn't know what to do," she said. "The first time they were a little nervous." Now she's glad to have the extra attention for her cats and for Cottage Grove, Oregon. Mary Ellen has her own website Swimming Cats & Manifesting Dreams where she posts pictures of her pets and has gotten hundreds of e-mails from as far away as China If nothing else, reading or hearing about her daring cats can brighten a person's day ... "I always tell them their job is to make other people smile," she says. .

KITTIES LEARNING TO SWIM: ... SEE VIDEO MARY ELLEN'S CATS
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