Dec 23rd, 2021
Feature Article
2021: A Lesson in Patience
Written by: David Stevens, Director of Business Development
Just a little longer.
Every year about this time, I get the opportunity to look back and reflect on our most recent trip around the sun. For those of you who don’t know me personally, I’ve always been (and always will be) a glass-half-full kind of guy. That means when I’m given this chance to reflect, I don my favorite pair of rose-colored glasses and get to writing – this year being no different.
If 2021 has taught me anything, it would be to stop taking time for granted. The great Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, once wrote “the two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” While this past year was host to much of the same struggle and unrest as the year prior, it also provided a glimmer of hope for what time can accomplish. Our patience is paying off and progress is being made, albeit slow, but progress none the less.
Believe it or not, what led me down this path of thinking was a recent trip to the grocery store. As my girlfriend was hunting high and low for fresh pomegranates (her most recent go-to late-night snack), I was stood in the produce section marveling over their precariously placed pyramid of fresh pineapples. It was during that moment when something struck me. Every single one of these pineapples is older than the coronavirus. Think about that! If you had planted a pineapple seed at the start of the pandemic, you’d still be waiting to harvest your first fruit! Don’t believe me? Google it!
It’s thoughts like these that highlight how impatient our society has become. It’s like we’re all Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – we want what we want when we want it. While this societal pressure for rapid progression has delivered numerous benefits in recent months, I think we could do with a few more Charlie Buckets’s in our mix. People who are interested and invested, without the overwhelming demands and impatience. Afterall, Veruca wound up a bad egg while Charlie became the owner of a chocolate factory. You do the math.
My hope for this article is that you take a moment of pause, think about this past year, and recognize the amazing strides we’ve taken as a society over the past 20 (or so) months. From sporting events to your upcoming holiday gatherings, these simple pleasures were off the table just 12 short months ago.
I truly believe that unadulterated optimism and patience will deliver greatness in the new year. While progress may be slow in addressing the world’s issues, the warriors of time and patience will persevere. This year has driven home one solid lesson: we have no idea what lies ahead. But with storm clouds come silver linings and the difference is simple: patience.
Your pineapples are still growing.
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