This morning, a colleague and I engaged in an interesting conversation about the past. We were reminiscing about the good old days when things weren’t as instantaneous. Rotary phones, postage stamps, three total TV channels, having to wait a week for the next instalment of your favorite show and reheating food in the oven. Today, society is a lot more 'in the moment' with cell phones, email, streaming and microwaves. This is a double-edged sword. Of course, it’s pleasing when we receive a swift response, but we have become so used to immediate gratification that it can prove to be more difficult to wait at times, even for the promise of a greater reward.
With our youngest students, we frequently practice delayed gratification. Desiring to gain possession of a toy that a friend is playing with is difficult for an egocentric 3-year-old, but this also presents a wonderful opportunity for them to control the impulse to take the toy immediately. Eagerly awaiting the growth of a bean when studying plants provides awe and wonder at the magnificence of nature that takes time to come to fruition. Taking time to listen to a peer's explanation before offering a personal response to a question, and really focusing on how their answer may influence our thoughts. For our oldest students, the anticipation of finding out how well the hours of learning and studying have equipped them whilst they undertake tests and examinations. All of these require patience, and sometimes a calming of the mind, as we wait.
Keeping one's mind calm is a skill, especially in times of stress when it is difficult to find the off switch. It takes practice to be mindful, to stop the brain flitting from thought to thought and to give ourselves some time away from the fast pace of life. Techniques we can engage in include journaling, reading, time in nature and meditation. Interestingly enough, meditation supposedly protects the aging brain from decline. I'm going to share that fact with my colleague so that we can continue to revel in our memories from so many decades ago.
