An Overlooked Durable Skill

We adopted a cat about 3 months ago. His name is Dennis (short for Dennis the Menace.) Nicknames include but are not limited to: Denny and Denny the Menny.

Anyway, Dennis is sweet but has been slow to warm up. During his first few weeks with us, he mostly hid in our closet behind a rack of hanging pullovers. Then, he started to come out more but with apprehension -especially when we were watching TV. Not a big TV guy.

Over time, he would sit in our laps if we were seated on the floor or occasionally jump on the couch to say hi.

I’ve noticed that he loves when we speak sweetly to him, and he is very fond of being petted.

This past weekend I’ve had more time at home than usual. I’ve been talking to him a lot, and I’ve noticed he will follow me from room to room, yelling at me to sit down and hang out with him. He’s started jumping into my lap when I’m seated in various chairs in different rooms of the house. Something new for both of us that started this weekend.

And when I think about what has changed. Really nothing except for this: time.

More time has passed. More time has been spent together. And slowly over this time, progress has been made.

I recently attended a quarterly PTO president’s meeting. Presidents from all seven school’s PTOs gather four times a year to talk shop and receive district updates. In this instance, I was filling in for our superintendent. Rather than share updates, I wanted to engage in dialogue about what this group leaders saw as the durable skills our students need now and in the future workforce. I’ve been asking various groups this question. Too often we forget about the many experiences that parents bring into our conversations in school. Many work outside the home or inside of the home and have networks of family, friends, and colleagues. We can learn so much from engaging families, and I want our Portrait of a Graduate to be refined by these experiences.

Nonetheless, they said many things that affirmed our portrait. Communication, empathy, and responsibility to name a few.

But one of the parents said PATIENCE.

Patience is not one that I can explicitly considered, but it feels like an important word that can define what we sometimes mean when we say resilience. She went on to explain that in the age of same day delivery, television at our fingertips, and instant feedback when gaming, being patient isn’t an attribute we’ve had to practice as much.

And yet, much of what is truly important requires patience. Whether it’s a farm to table meal, building a relationship, earning the trust of a stray cat, nurturing a positive school culture, or learning a new curriculum, almost all good things take time and patient pursuit.

Whatever your thing may be, stay the course.

Just because it’s taking longer doesn’t meant it’s not happening.

Remain in patient pursuit of what matters most. And be patient with yourself and others as you work to make it happen.