Deer of the Rings

Deer Raymond,

It seems like it takes forever for Christmas to get here!!! I hate waiting. What can I do to be more patient?

Signed,

Hurry up, Already

Dear HAL,

I know what you mean about patience! When I watch Lord of the Rings, I don’t want to listen to the Hobbits go on and on about second breakfast or watch those stupid orcs building things out of mud and nasty wood. I want to see some Ents kicking butt, and Aragorn winning the battle. So – when I put the trilogy on, I start with Return of the King. My human says that’s not the best way to watch because while I’m rushing to get to the end, I miss the beautiful part where Arwen gives Aragorn the Evenstar, and cool stuff like when Gandalf stand up to the Balrog. Turns out, by racing to the end – I lose a lot of good experiences.

Patience isn’t a word most people like very much, but that’s because they don’t understand it. Patience doesn’t mean just standing around waiting for something to happen. Patience means that even when something is challenging, or isn’t happening at your pace, you stay with it and you work with it. Patience is a form of acceptance. When you open yourself up to other people and situations as they are (not as you want them to be), you develop patience and get wisdom in return.

So this holiday season, instead of rushing through to the 25th – eat some cookies, watch some movies, give to other people, and sing some songs. It won’t make the wait any faster, but you’ll get so much more in the long run.

Your Fighting Friend,

Raymonden of Rohan