Please Be Patient

When I was in Junior High School, I had a spiral bound notebook that I loved. I vividly remember the day I found it in the store and how much I wanted it. The cover was more vinyl than paper, and it was a beautiful light green color with a textured feel and a raised graphic of a sweet little girl with a bonnet beside her that said "Please Be Patient, God Isn't Finished With Me Yet"

For some reason, that simple spiral notebook resonated with me that day in the store. We were limited to what we could spend on school supplies and I remember (young teenage me) thinking… It doesn't matter that this costs so much more than all of the other spiral notebooks. I love it and I will use it and it's worth it!

Well, I wish I could say that spiral notebook worked magic and I was infinitely more organized that year, and that all of my homework was done on time and notes were kept pristinely in the spiral pages behind that meaningful vinyl cover. But, unfortunately, I was the same early teenage kid who waited until the last minute to rush to complete an assignment to turn it in on time, and the one who most often "winged it" to complete the work. Notes were still all over the place, and I still made my slightly above average - but not top student - grades.

The important thing, though, about this story is that the year I got that notebook was a rough year. In fact, like many people, most of my teenage years were wrought with insecurities, self-doubt, poor choices, emotional reactions and interactions, and growth. However, that notebook, as meaningless as it may have seemed to anyone else, was a beacon for me. It was a reminder that no matter what I was going through, it wasn't the end and I was still on my way to becoming the me I was meant to be. Whatever your religious beliefs… whether "God" wasn't finished with me, or the Universe wasn't finished with me, or my life story wasn't yet finished being written… however you view it, I had a tangible reminder that there was more to come… better days were ahead… someday someone would understand and appreciate all that I was and all that I could be.

Many years have passed since High School, and true to the cover on my spiral notebook, I'm still not a finished product. Continuous learning has become part of the foundation of who I am, and each passing year brings a wealth of new insights and greater understanding. One of my most profound learnings, confidently and proudly acknowledging the things that are unique and special about me, has framed the way I embrace life these days. But make no mistake… I'm still not finished.

Please be patient.

Remembering and writing about this story, I got nostalgic and went on a google search for the notebook in the hopes that, just maybe, they still made them. Well, although I couldn't find any for sale today, I found an image labeled "Vintage Notebook" that is EXACTLY the same spiral notebook (just in a different color). My heart is full!