How the art of patience can turn your life around

Patience is a virtue.

Virtue is a grace.

Grace is a little girl who never washed her face.

…………..

If I ranked the high points in my life, this wouldn’t be the top. It’s not an Oscar moment, or an exciting anecdote to tell the grandchildren. But it’s a slice of time that tells a tale.

I’ve been limbering up my green fingers in Lockdown. Buying packets of seeds to grow vegetables. It seemed relatively easy. After a short while I was churning out seedlings — courgette, beetroot, carrot, green bean, coriander and basil.

Assorted terracotta pots now fill our small garden. It’s not a slick enterprise. Sticks, string and all manner of household items prop up the plants. Real gardeners will suck through their teeth and shake their heads.

Despite my early success I had one tray of seeds that did absolutely nothing. I treated it with the same care, but where the others took off, this one sat indolently on the windowsill. I watered and turned it diligently. I even talked to my tray of soil.

After weeks of concentrated effort what do you think emerged? Nada. Nichts. Niente.

I was tempted to ditch the muddy box. But life was busy and instead it sat forgotten, slowly drying out. And that could have been the end of it, but an aeon later one single green shoot appeared. It poked its head up above the soil and over a few days climbed towards…