Types of Patience

Just like I believe everyone is creative I think most people are patient, just in different ways. I first realized this when I was middle school and I would do sewing projects, which often involved unpicking. My sister didn't have patience for such things (which is funny because she now does way more sewing than I do). My mom (I think) pointed out that although I had more patience with sewing than my sister, my sister had more patience with kids, (she liked to babysit, I did not).
I think this is really normal. Some people don't mind waiting in line, others hate it. Some don't mind long, repetitive, mundane tasks or sitting at traffic lights or digging a cm at a time.

Enjoyment takes Effort

Last week I went to a church sponsored activity. It was snow tubing at a resort. The idea is they have these long trails that are groomed and then there is a pulley system that will drag you up the mountain/hill so you don't have to walk to the top.

A few years ago, I went sledding with some of my roommates and they took snow mobiles so that when we got to the bottom the snow mobiles could pull us back to the top. It was fun but it wasn't my favorite way to go sledding. I thought it was because I don't love the smell of gasoline marring the "fresh mountain air," or the sound either. It is just noisy! I do think that was some of why I didn't love it, but maybe there was something more to it because this tubing experience wasn't the best either. Granted I wasn't in the best mood to begin with so that didn't really help my outlook but it did make me wonder if sometimes in the modern world there is so much that can be done to make things easy that we forget that sometimes (always?) it is the work that makes things worth it. The only time I really exerted myself on this tubing adventure was when I ended up helping the employees put away the tubes at the end of the night... And that was completely optional.

But just to be clear the tracks were really fast and were pretty cool.

The other thing I think I miss in some of this type of experience is the idea of exploration. I tried out each of the 5 tracks, but the whole time I was wondering what was on the other side of the hill. My roommate didn't even try out the different routes, she just asked the employee at the top of the hill which track was the best and went with that.

I just felt like I was missing out on 2 of 3 of the most important elements of enjoyment (that I made up just now), effort, discovery, and a fun activity.... But then again maybe I just thought too much...

Patience and Expectations

Several times lately I have told people, or just noticed, that different things in my life are going slowly. This includes my writing projects, my thesis project, the papers I've been grading and even aspects of my personal scripture study.

After a few different comments and some of my own ponderings I realized there was some reasons for this.

The first problem: Some of these projects I don't spend that much time. This last week I only spent a half hour at the most per day on my writing. Is it any wonder I haven't made very fast progress?

The second problem: My expectations tend to be too hopeful at times. I expect to be able to do a bit project in a week... even when I am working on it most of the work/school day that might not happen, because guess what? It's a big project!

On occasion I have been told I'm patient... maybe in some things, but apparently not in expectations.

Creation, More Than What You Put In

This is a painting I did in my high school art class. The teacher had a series of pictures from magazines that she had cut out and then let us pick one. Someone picked the one I wanted so I picked this one. After painting it (I struggled, we were supposed to be doing impressionism) I took it home and my Mom said it reminded me of my Dad's hometown. My brother-in-law asked why I had painted a dragon into it.
Neither was my intention.
I was surprised what other people saw in it.
A few weeks ago I was talking to my sister about my book. I was trying to figure out if I could emphasize certain characteristics in my main character. I had one example. My sister then proceeded to list off like 5 or 6 other examples of how the main character displayed that characteristic. I wrote the book. I knew what she was talking about but I hadn't realized that that characteristic was actually that important to the character.
My Dad told me that he knows he has done a good job programming something if he finds new ways to use it and it isn't limited to only what he initially programmed it for.
It seems like sometimes it is the interaction between the creation and a new person that reveals new depths but sometimes it is the creator him or herself that sees new potential in the already completed work.
It seems like the bigger and more involved the work the more potential it has. No wonder the creation of new life is so incredible and is it any wonder that creation is such an integral part of godhood.

Being Literate in the Classics

One of my summer's in high school I set a goal to read all the books in a series of "classics" that my mom had. I did it too. This wasn't the first or the last time I've read classics that were not required of me.

Recently I have watched some movies that are considered cultural classics... as in I've heard them mentioned a lot. Partly, this is because I have a roommate that enjoys watching them, and enjoys introducing them to me, but part of it is I just find it interesting.

The thing is, I don't why I think it is so interestign to read and watch things that are considered classics. It isn't like I am always in the middle of cultural norms while they happen... in fact I'm far more likely to avoid them. But I guess I do find it fascinating to see what types of stories people hold onto and I guess I also like suddenly being in on the "inside jokes." I just like to be literate... even if there is no reason for it.

Positive Persistence and Stereoscopy

Well I apologize if I wrote about this before but an experience pushed it to the forefront.
Last week I was looking at a paleontology book with my professor. There was a set of stereo photographs of bones. Basically this means two pictures of the same thing taken from almost the exact same position... but not quite, so when you look at them through a viewer the image pops into 3D. This is helpful in visual sciences so that others can see the real depth of a hole in a bone or an alien planet's surface (and kids like them). But I've never been good at those hidden image books. My professor didn't take no as an answer and told me I would learn how to see them without the viewers. He sat in his office for a 3 minutes staring at nothing, praying and pretending. Then he asked "Did you get it to work?" "Nope." I was so close to saying yes... I mean how important is this skill anyway? He gave me more instructions. I tried for another few minutes, and then another and another. Maybe 20 minutes after it first came up I had figured out how to do it more or less (with the emphasis on more) on command. I was unreasonably proud of myself. I mean how often can you say you learned an entire skill in one day? But I did feel bad that I had been such a naysayer at the beginning.
In college I took a ceramics class. When we first started using the wheel I had a hard time learning how to center the clay (and that is how you start). I struggled with it for like a whole day and a half! Two days after I got the hang of it I saw my professor working with one of my peers who was still struggling with it. And she was patient.
I also hated reading for a long time because I didn't pick it up right away.
Many things that I have tried come easily for me. So, I have a tendency to resent the ones that don't.
Thus maybe even more than being proud of a new skill I am proud that after those first 3 minutes and that fateful moment. I approached it with a fairly good attitude and pushed through. (And yes... a whole 20 minutes... I know that's ridiculous).

Patterns

"The pattern is there in Nature because it was first there in God."
                                                                                             -C.S. Lewis
Lately I have noticed some interesting patterns.

Ripples

Spirals

Bumps and Ridges

Cracks

These aren't even the best pictures to show these things, and yet the parallels are apparent despite differences in size, medium, and creation. I just think it is crazy how sometimes vastly different mediums and causes can create such similarities. I believe God is a god of law and pattern. Is it any wonder that we love patterns and tend to see them in nature as well as our own lives?