Be still

I don’t know how to discribe this. Is it stoicism? Is it just trying to speak strength and turn that into reality? Is that a thing?

More and more I see that the values I was raised with seem to bear fruit, and help me succeed in the real world. One thing that I see that may well be genetic though and not instilled in me later is patience. If someone speaks to me aggressively it is very, very hard to push me into an aggressive response. More often than not I only smile, or offer a glib retort before trying to get to the root of their issue. I have my dad to thank for that. Aling with so many of my other, definitely learned traits I acquired along the way. Studiousness, attention to detail, striving for excellence in a job that may not be your “calling,” but it is a good job that affords a nice lifestyle.

My dad also taught me a single, essential part of my happiness that I enjoy as an adult - the ability to be still... To just take a moment, be it on a weekend in the mountains, or crouching with my daughter helping her potty train, and soak up all I can from that moment. I can feel it now, I’m trying to pack too much into my sentences instead of writing paragraphs detailing every aspect of this trait. I guess all I can really say is thank God for my dad. Thank God he showed me how to be ok with it being quiet every once in a while. For showing me how to be still, and aware, and present.