"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Whether you are religious or not, I think it is worth noting that it is important for us to have patience. In this day and age, people are hardly waiting for instantaneous results. Waiting to look at a notification can cause anxiety, and waiting for someone to finish making plans with you could be annoying. I think for the most part, we could use more patience. This not only applies to our everyday relationships, but also to things that happen to us.

One example that I am continuously faced with is the idea of studying abroad through my university. While this is a wonderful opportunity, because of certain circumstances, I am unable to participate in a program such as that. This makes it difficult for me because of the push from faculty and other students to partake in this priceless experience. There is no way for other people to be able to automatically know my circumstances, but I would like to suggest that they could respond in a more positive way, since studying abroad is not the only way to travel, and these are (hopefully) not the only years of academia I will participate in. How does this tie to the idea of time and patience, you ask? Well, I am optimistic that I will have more opportunities in life, or that I will be able to create more opportunities in my life, to do things like traveling or studying in a different country. Just because it isn't something I can do right now, doesn't mean that I will never be able to, or that it's a shame that I cannot. I am incredibly grateful for the time I can spend at my university as it is!

Patience and timing can manifest themselves in many ways throughout people's different lives. You might be trying to make it big in your field but you haven't quite had the opportunity or connections that you need; you might be having a hard day after hard day and you feel like you aren't getting where you need to be fast enough; you might feel like you just missed a great opportunity for one reason or another and are feeling like you can't get back on your feet, or that the opportunity will not arise again. I have some words of encouragement for you! Don't limit yourself. Just because an opportunity is not able to be taken or is not presented, does not mean that you won't have other things happen in the future. Continue looking forward, appreciating the place you are in right now. Take a deep breath. Go outside for a moment and look at the sky, see what is around you. Remember that there is a time for everything, even for your dreams.