My mom is awesome. She sends me "Mom Mailers" full of awesome goodies like fruit leather, raw almonds, my absolute FAVORITE Kona coffee (I have no idea her connections where she finds it.... she must have ties to someone actually living in Hawaii growing actual coffee trees as her supplier. I positively cannot find it anywhere!) She includes packs of gum knowing I'm addicted to chewing it as a stress reliever, pops in all-natural fruit snacks, my favorite granola bars, articles that she found interesting or that she thought I may like, books for me to read and so on. She also sent me a poem, attributed to Mother Teresa.
The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:
People are often
unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive
them anyway.
If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind
anyway.
If you are
successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine
enemies. Succeed anyway.
If
you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and
sincere anyway.
What
you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create
anyway.
If
you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy
anyway.
The
good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will
never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is
between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-this
version is credited to Mother
Teresa
This was my reminder today. Just because what I did wasn't appreciated in the way that I had hoped doesn't negate the spirit of the act. If I had set out to do something in kindness expecting a pat on the back, it wouldn't have been particularly selfless. But it did open my eyes once again to what inside ME needs mending - my sometimes too-thin skin and quick defensiveness - always leery of being attacked.
And how do all these combine into my yoga practice for tonight? Well, as previously mentioned in another blog post, part of my yoga this go-around is also fulfilling "Bliss Commitments". The first week was to write an actual letter or card to someone you care about. Of course, being me, I had whole messes of people that needed a card from me, and I went through an entire pack of them writing to the people who immediately jumped out to my mind. This second week was do commit a random act of kindness. So I have made myself helpful the last week trying to do a little extra above and beyond at every opportunity. Like taking the time to scour out the sink after doing dishes, and sweeping out the carport, and pulling the rotting tomato plants out of the garden so that next spring the ground will be ready for a little mulch and read to go again without the mess, I have a visit to Grama B. planned, and sent text messages or left voicemails for those friends in need of some emotional bolstering. I fed the neighbor horses the vegetables on the tray that got frozen and were going to be thrown out, and cleaned the leaves from their water trough. I took a moment to truly thank people that were helping, and I gave out some extra hugs this week. I spent extra time petting the dog and making a point to throw her bear for her, and called my Mom to see how she is doing. I rescued a plant that was going to be thrown out, even bringing it into my shower for that extra-special misting on the periphery that they seem to love. I did an anonymous good deed at the horse barn where I board, and wrote an extra long letter to mail out. I complimented a total stranger (a genuine compliment), and held the door for folks passing through. Yes, most of these are common courtesies and part of my routine friendships and relationships with others, but this week I tried to focus on them even more and make them even more the central part of my random kindnesses and more of my routine.
And WHAT was tonight's yoga practice? Lower Body yoga. Some really interesting variations of leg work in a deep lunge raising and lowering the back knee while keeping the upper body vertical, some Goddess pose squats, and holding Warrior 1 and 2, planks with leg raises and lots of Chair Pose.At first I wasn't even going to do my practice tonight. Sleep-deprived, feeling a bit rumbly in my tumbly and then realized this is exactly the kind of think that keeps interfering with my practice. And 25 minutes? Yes... I have 25 minutes. So I took an antacid, lit my favorite candle, fed the fishies and did my yoga. Even worked up a little sweat (particularly as I did it after my 130 squats - working my way up to the 500 my husband wants me to try doing... I love that he always believes in me!)
One more day in my 21 Day Yoga Challenge, and hopefully working my way back into a habit of regular yoga practice. So good for me, just getting onto the mat is the first step.
Namaste & be KIND! :) Remember Mother Teresa:
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
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