Like I said previously, this year I got pretty into butterflies. I spent countless hours in the sun trying to find the beautiful little illusive bastards. Many times, though, my patience was rewarded.

If anything 2020 has taught me overall is patience. Looking back at the last ten years, I went pretty hard until 2017. In 2018, I started at the observatory and have slowly taken on more projects and responsibility which I find so fulfilling. Its really hard for me to not just blindly slam my foot on the gas and go go go.

Slow down. Wait, be patient.

Instead of pushing, I need the reminder of balance and the importance of precision and intention.

I think it is one thing that the pandemic and lockdowns have taught us, also, is how important it is to be patient. Things need to happen when they happen for a reason. Sometimes we know the reason, sometimes we find out later, sometimes we never know. The world needed us to slow down and stop and take a minute. What did you do with that time?

Butterflies though. Seriously. At first I thought, “Jasmine, really? You picked these little fast things to try and find? Do you have the patience for that?!” The answer was no, no I did not. But, I made myself be patient. Eventually I wasn’t thinking about how I was frustrated that something flew by and I didn’t see it, I was taking the time to stop, wait, and appreciate when I did get graced with the presence of one of these beauties. It was very helpful in my need for mindfulness.