Waiting. I spend a lot of time waiting in Morocco. I wait for shops to open. I wait for artisans to return from prayer. I wait for lunch to be over so that I can get back to work. I wait in medina traffic. I wait for waiters in cafes to acknowledge me and come over to take my order. I wait for taxis to stop on a rainy Friday night. I wait for buses. I wait for replies on emails and texts. I wait outside post offices for late appointments. And most of all, I wait for samples…I spend a lot of time on this one. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m doing now at 8:41pm the night before my photo shoot. I sometimes get caught up in the “faster, faster, faster” mentality I am used to coming from the big city. I sometimes lose sight of what I’m really trying to accomplish as I attempt to rush the sample process. Time is so precious and so limited but I know deep down that these crafts takes time. It takes time to count the hand stitches that will eventually make up a beautiful embroidery. It also takes time to create a pattern and cut the leather and fabric. It takes time to experiment and achieve a new technique. It takes time to get things right. I often need to remind myself that each design is being crafted by the hands of one or sometimes several artisans. So for all of the moments when I want to tear my hair out because I’ve “wasted” a day or haven’t accomplished all I thought I would, I receive a little work of art that reminds me that a little bit of patience (or waiting) isn’t such a terrible thing.
Danica – part of Morocco’s charm is that it is sooo different from Western life, which is all busy busy busy and time is of the essence. What I love about life there is no one is in a rush…people sit for hours and watch the world go by, and its….okay. Folks who are born into this way of life have no problem dealing with this…time is relative. Its a real lesson for us in The West, and perhaps an interesting tutorial in how…to….slow…down.
In Buddhist meditation, some liken the mind to a glass of water, and our thoughts as a handful of dirt thrown into it….when we are in action, it all gets muddied up, unclear, but when we stop and just BE, the dirt settles to the bottom and the water becomes clear…and with it, clarity. Our biggest creative breakthrough’s often happen at these moments. When I get too caught up in the moment, I think to myself “mind like water” and it helps a little.
So, all that waiting you are doing may perhaps be useful, and if nothing else, will allow you to savor a nice cup of Moroccan mint tea and watch the world go by…Moroccan style! Enjoy….