I love Joseph Addison. He’s not that well known, but has made such an impact on the evolution of not only language and writing, but on the form of essays. Last year, I wrote a research paper on the one thing that influenced Addison the most and spent almost all of my 2nd semester reading his works. Of all the quotes I came across, this was my absolute favorite.

Last year was a time of big changes for me. I had recently gotten out of a long relationship, found my best friend, pushed myself out of my shell, and even started this blog! I was extremely disoriented and scared for some time as I didn’t know what was going to come. Looking back, I wouldn’t change any of it. It is through these hardships that I found myself and the things I deeply cherish.

Patience is such an interesting concept. We tend to use it as an excuse whenever we don’t want to deal with something. Yet, when we need time to complete something of our own we ask others to be patient with us. It’s easy to ask someone else to be patient, but what about asking ourselves? As humans, we want to see growth and success immediately; a majority of the time that won’t be the case.

That’s what Addison is commenting on here. When it comes to ourselves, the most important person in our lives, we forget all about asking for time. You can’t expect to immediately bounce back from any setback. Time is needed to properly digest, reflect, and build. It is in this time of personal patience where we find our true selves.

Personally, if I didn’t experience everything that worried or scared me last year I wouldn’t be the person I am proud to be today. It is in that time where I found my inspiration for writing, the person who I can rely on for anything, my recipe for happiness, and relationships that I couldn’t imagine having.

So, don’t be afraid to be patient with yourself. Give yourself time. It truly is a blessing in disguise.