Warrior.

“The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.”

-Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Photo source: unknown

I wont pretend to be terribly well-read. I haven't read War and Peace. I heard a song by the band CHVRCHES and they paraphrased this, which obviously makes me like them even more. (Word to the wise: if you can quote something profound and put it into your music, I probably love your band.)

The song resonated with me, even before I knew that it wasn't their original quote. Warriors are both time and patience. Why was that so important to me? I couldn't get my head around it, but I kept repeating it in my mind. 

Patience has never been my strong suit. I'm impulsive, as you may have noticed in some of my stories on here. I'm getting better(ish) about it, but I still have a hard time going from an idea to a well-thought-out action. I also blame New Girl for having an episode where they say that the best things happen when you're not thinking. Nope. That is false. Please do not listen to that advice. 

I've had a number of people in my life who have been the opposite of impulsive. Ironically enough they tend to be people who have made impulse decisions (or have impulse control problems) and learned that it wasn't the path to follow. And now they live their lives with a sense of patience in their decisions. And you know something? Their lives are exponentially better for it. 

I want to be a patient person. I think that I am a calm person, by nature, and so I've always assumed that I was patient. But I'm not. I could never be a teacher or an instructor of any kind. A friend of mine once taught me to play a number of card and board games, and all I can remember was thinking, "Wow. This person is incredibly patient." I guess it's one of those learning experiences you look back on and realize that it was more impactful than you realized at the time. 

For example: He taught me how to play a super nerdy card game. I wont say which one. But it was something alien to me and I was terrible at it at first. Yet every time I made a move, he would allow me to make my mistakes and then proceed to explain how he COULD take the game if he chose to. He explained every move and every card, taking hours to help me learn. And I got better. Not great, but better. I even beat him a few times (although I'm sure he let me win). 

And I learned a lot from the experience. I guess I learned what this quote means, to some extent. Not to say I became any kind of Warrior, but I learned that becoming better at something takes time and patience. From all parties involved, I suppose.

I think the other aspect of the quote that I identify with is the word Warrior. Who doesn't want to be THAT? Warrior isn't "fighter," or "soldier." The word Warrior identifies with no master or commander. You become the Warrior for yourself. I like that. I also like Warrior because Tom Hardy is in the movie Warrior and he is complete eye candy. He has muscles in places I didn't know people had muscles. Seriously. Also- it's a good movie. Watch it.

Sorry. 

To become a Warrior, or a self-made champion, it takes time and patience. Which are obviously intertwined. Patience does not exist without the time to practice it, and time begs for patience in order to pass through it. No one can speed up time, you have to sit with it, patiently. 

I realize this is a bit deep for a Thursday morning. But it struck me as an interesting thought today. So hopefully my next entry will keep it light again. Maybe I can reveal more embarrassment in my personal life like I did here.