Patience

This morning, I am in need of patience, and I seem to have misplaced mine. We are all still recovering from being sick, we had a busy weekend, and well, Charlie is four. With my baby, the first 3 years were a breeze. He nursed beautifully, loved to be carried in a sling, slept cuddled up next to me, and said wonderful things like "Mommy, you are a flower". Now, at age 4, things are starting to shift. He is still really attached, loves to cuddle, is a sweet and caring boy, and he is also starting to see himself as a separate person - he is beginning to make a point of wanting things to be different from what others in the family want, even if it meens having somehting that he doesn't like so long as it is different. I know that this is all a part of working out more of who he is in relation to others. I get all of this, really I do. I understand how this assertiveness will serve him well as a teen and adult. I know that it is because he feels to attached, safe and loved that he is able to challenge fearlessly. I know that this is really a stage that I should be celebrating, and that I should be excited for the new-found freedom that he is exploring. But this morning, I really just want him to call me a flower and then go down for a nice long nap. In my search for some inspiration I came across this quote. I think that I will go and lock myself in the bathroom with this quote and see if I can find my patience in there.

Peaceful warriors have the patience to wait until the mud settles and the water clears. They remain unmoving until the right time, so the right action arises by itself. They do not seek fulfillment, but wait with open arms to welcome all things.-
Dan Millman