A Lesson For Me

Life is full of experiences both good and bad; usually the bad seems to come in hordes, or whenever we feel least capable of coping. Yet for the most part we survive and are usually better for it; whether we were in the right or the wrong, or if we learned all we could have or not…it’s best that we lived it. Or at least that’s what I believe.

The Buddha said this:

For those with no anger,
how can anger arise?
When you practice deep looking and master yourself,
you dwell in peace, freedom, and safety.
The one who offends another
after being offended by him,
harms himself and harms the other.
When you feel hurt
but do not hurt the other,
you are truly victorious.
Your practice and your victory benefit both of you.
When you understand the roots of anger in yourself and in the other,
your mind will enjoy true peace , joy and lightness.
You become the doctor who heals himself and heals the other.
If you don't understand,
you will think not getting angry to be the act of a fool.

It just fits. I realize that in my life I’ve made serious mistakes; I’ve been rude, unkind, manipulative, angry, unforgiving, selfish…the list truly does go on…but the point is that while some of these characteristics may still break through from time to time, it’s been my practice to avoid them whenever possible: To be a better person. And this is not only for me, but for my young children as well, so that hopefully, while they will inevitably inherit a multitude of my negative qualities, with any luck a few of the better ones will rub-off on them too!

And so I shall adjourn to bed where I hope to get a restful nights sleep (maybe I’ll only have to get up to use the restroom 4 times tonight!! We’ll see!!)

Cheers Darlings!! (All 4 of you that read this! LOL)