Thursday, June 18, 2009

It's the little things


My grandma used to say "courtesy costs nothing." The Dalai Lama has said (as I mentioned in a post once before - sorry, but I love this quote) "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Now, I'm not suggesting my grandma had a lot in common with the Dalai Lama. In fact, if I were able to ask her now, I don't think she would have known who he is. And, I would guess, vice versa. But I think these ideas amount in a roundabout sort of way to the same thing. I don't want to be a curmudgeon about this and (I hope) I don't quite fit the criteria of a "grumpy old woman" just yet, but the slow, the polite, the gentle, the side-track, the giving-way, the kind seems to be becoming a little passe. Since I have consciously tried to step back, re-assess and let myself off the hook a bit, I have noticed this more and more. Again, I know, I am not coming up with anything mind-blowingly original. And I am first to admit that pushy, bossy, impatience-wise, I have a lot of karma to make up. But saying 'thank you', stepping aside on the footpath to let someone past, making a phone call, returning an email. It's all so easy but - and not always out of spite or malice - it so often falls prey to 'I'm just too busy for all those little things!' But, as with kindness, you just never know how it will be received on the other end.
PS The photos these last few days have been random selections from my camera, taken - obviously! - prior to its demise. Today: a grapefruit on our tree last summer. Yesterday: a flower several years ago in our local botanical gardens.

2 comments:

Bodecea said...

Having buddha-like (or, at least, Dalai-lama-like) properties - that would be great. But at the moement I recognize stronger that I have to accept my not-very-buddha-like parts more (some of them looking like a real old evil hag)to become whole and sane...

Feronia said...

Always gotta balance the light and the dark, Bodecea! I hear you :)