Patience - good things are yet to come

Patience has NEVER been one of my strong virtues. Someone I loved and respected dearly would often say "If Mary had been around when Rome was built, it would have been built in a day." You can imagine the strain 2020 put on my patience because most of you were there with me. Do you also find yourself growing a bit giddy now that we can see a little light at the end of the tunnel? Naturally, I find myself more anxious to get on with life. 

I found myself reminded today that all good things come in due time by a flower blossom. Living in Arizona this time of the year has many pluses. One of them is the amazing weather. As a self-care move, I schedule 30 minutes each day outside to bask in the sun gathering up Vitamin D while reading. Today I was surrounded by the most amazing scent as I fought to stay focused on my reading. Any description I attempt would not do it justice.

It only took my walking a few steps to discover our tangelo tree packed with more blossoms than I could ever imagine.  The blossoms were not there yesterday, or at least I did not smell them. For every blossom, there will be a tangelo next fall.  I am in awe still tonight.

You see, this same tree almost met its end in December 2019. It toppled overloaded with fruit after a particularly hard rain. Little did we know the neighbor's irrigation system leaked into our yard making the soil even more saturated.  We left it lay on its side for over a week in hopes of harvesting the fruit before it died. I was so very sad as there is nothing more delicious than a tangelo picked ripe from the tree. On a whim, we asked a landscaper if he could pull it back upright to replant it. He did it and we harvested all of the fruit. The neighbors benefited as there was no way we could eat the hundreds of fruit picked. The same landscaper trimmed the tree back in early spring before it could blossom in an attempt to give it a chance at life. Nevertheless, we harvested a handful of fruits this year, just enough to entice me to want more. 

Little did I know early last spring that our little fruit tree's fight for survival would come to represent so much in life. It was a year of heartbreak and hope. We lost over half of a million of our fellow Americans to COVID. In many cases, we have suffered over a year-long separation from family, friends, and loved ones. In contrast, so many others have been experienced job loss, financial burden, and an unprecedented mental health crisis.  After a year of this pandemic, we have a right to feel tired, lonely, and impatient.

Still, through it all, we have seen stories of giving, hope, and resilience like never before. Fortunately, hospitalizations and deaths are declining. Kids are going back into the classroom.  We have safe vaccines that are working.  Over 100 million doses have been administered, with millions of doses becoming available each day.  Delightfully my daughter and son-in-law's vaccines are scheduled for April. I will finally get to see my east coast kids and grandkids in person after 18 months.  I can't wait!

Like my little tangelo tree, we've had a hell of a year. I trust that we will never return to normal but maintain hope for a new future. We have to stay patient a little longer. By fall, we will reap a rich harvest. And may we never forget this moment and the lessons learned.

Have a thoughtful week. I am here for you if you need to talk.

Warm Regards, Mary

Wednesday Wisdoms sponsored by ITeffectivity.com – At ITeffectivity, we support CIOs and their leadership team in bridging the gap between technology and business to enhance their strategic leadership, drive innovation, and alleviate the daily pressure from key stakeholders.