“When I run after what I think I want

My days are a furnace of distress and anxiety.

If I sit in my own place of patience,

What I need flows to me,

And without any pain.”

Rumi

“It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet.”
Franz Kafka

When I came across this quote by Rumi, it reminded me of Kafka’s bold statement, so I’ve shared them both here. Why? Just to remind us all that sometimes what we need to do more than anything else is to sit in our own “place of patience” and wait.

“Bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint” — that’s a simple definition of patience. It’s not always a quality that we associate with writing, is it? We’re more likely to invoke the white hot heat of inspiration as a valued asset in our writer’s toolkit.

And yet, in my experience, inspiration often flows from a calm, steady state of mind. There’s a Yogi tea tag I love, which says, “A relaxed mind is a creative mind.”

When we’re anxious or fretful about our writing and how it’s going or not going, flowing or not flowing, as Rumi says so well, we can start “running after” what we think we want or need. Often this just creates agitation and confusion.

Instead of being anxious and angsty, why not take another path? Why not practice patience? Why not become still and listen and wait, and see what arises? Sometimes the best solutions of all arise from silence, not seeking. Write on!

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