Today the internet has taught me about the existence of a company in the UK that does 3D printing. You stand in the photo booth, get your picture taken, and they send you your figurine in 3 weeks. It’s expensive and completely useless, but the 8 year-old in me can’t help but think it’s awesome. It would be cool to have before and after weight loss ones. Or if you had kids, take them in their Halloween costumes each year as a memento. That would be pretty hilarious to look back on in 20 years.

“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”

– Barbara Johnson

They say that patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. For all of my better qualities, I remain hilariously impatient. I approach things earnestly and with sincerity. When I find something I enjoy, I often throw myself into with reckless abandon. Waiting is not something that comes naturally to me. But in life, all things are about balance. It’s about learning when to sit back and let things happen as they will instead of trying to hurry them along. All the desire in the world to see a flower won’t make it grow any faster, and there’s no sense in plucking it before it’s bloomed. Sometimes, the only thing is to let nature run it’s course.

Trust is an interesting thing. As I was looking for inspiration when I wanted to write about this topic, so much of what I was able to find was about the negative connotations of trust. How we can’t trust anyone in life other than ourselves, that trust is impossible to build and can be broken in an instant, never to be the same again. Trust is such a powerful thing and yet is seemingly so fragile.

What got me thinking about this topic was an Ira Glass comment in an episode of a This American Life podcast. He mentioned that he always feels like he’s one bad moment away from ruining relationships with everyone he knows. His co-host asked if he thought that about even his wife, and he said that yes, deep down he feels like if he says the wrong thing one time that everything could potentially fall apart.

It hit home with me. I realized I felt the same way for some reason. I’ve always held back things from people because I felt like I couldn’t trust them with it. It runs from simple things like tasks at work to deeper things like hiding the way I feel about something because I don’t want to upset another person or worry about how it could change how they looked at me. That all it would take would be one wrong thing to undo everything I had with someone.

It’s odd, because I know the things I keep to myself I wouldn’t care if another person shared with me. I’m learning we’re all humans in that way, and that people are a whole lot more receptive than I’ve given them credit for. Like all things, there’s a balance between being naïve and trusting indiscriminately and being closed off and quietly becoming bitter and cynical about people. Somewhere in-between is a middle ground; where you open up to and trust the right people, the people that matter, and you get a richer, fuller relationship as a reward. One that is based on who you are instead of a fabricated version of yourself you want everyone to see. You just need to be confident, take a chance and trust in them.

Have courage and be bold. When you figure out something you want in life, raise your hand and let the world know. No one will ever hand you anything in life, but the people who care can only help you when they know what you want.