Quick and Easy is Just Something Impatient People Type in Google

If I can get something quick and easy then I’m happy! Unfortunately the old saying “good things come to those who wait” is all too true. As an adult my anxiety has made itself VERY known and a lot of that has to do with my impatience.  I’m a planner. I can’t relax until I’ve got everything planned out. Once it’s planned out I just can’t wait for the outcome! I want it now! Whatever it is I want it nooooow! Yes, I know I sound like a 4 year old. Which is why I decided I should “live in the now” as the buddhist say. If I am always looking to the future I will always be disappointed.

When I started my journey to being more patient I first turned to the internet. The internet loooves to point you towards meditation for every problem. What I never saw online was someone telling you how hard meditation is for an impatient person. My first meditation was less of a quiet mind and more of me thinking of all the things I want to get done in the day. Although I knew it was going to take some time to get the whole zen meditation thing down, my impatient nature talked me out of trying again. 

Eventually I stopped trying. That's when I accidentally stumbled across a solution! Back then I was really into crafting and working with my hands . I noticed that I would only choose projects that were “quick and easy”. Then I noticed that I would only look up recipes that are “quick and easy”. When I got into gardening I realized I only wanted plants that were “quick and easy”. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something to be quick and easy but if I wanted to gain some patience and sanity in my life, I decided I would need to quick taking shortcuts. I told myself I would attempt a project, recipe, or plant that was a tad harder and takes just a little bit longer. 

This tiny change has really helped me calm my mind. At first it wasn’t a huge shift. Instead of 10 minute meals I opted for 35 minute meals. Eventually that shifted to meals that take an hour. Gradually I’ve escalated to meals that are an all day process. From time to time I’ll revisit my 10 minute meals. Just knowing that I can create something that isn’t “quick and easy” is really satisfying but there's no need to take on a massive challenge everyday. When I do challenge myself I've found that the outcome is so much more satisfying. The meals are more delicious. The crafts are more beautiful. My garden is full of life. For the longest time I’ve despised the saying “good things come to those who wait” and now….I don’t love it but I definitely don’t hate it.

The picture above is one of my current projects. I’m propagating my snake plant next to my herb garden. 3 years ago none of these plants would have survived week 1!