Today's Meditation:
We like company. And we like to help others. So which of these likes is our most common motivation for trying to get other people onto the paths that we've chosen in life? Which is behind our tendencies to try to direct others, correct them, criticize them for their choices in life? If we can just keep in mind that their road probably has the lessons that they need, we can leave them alone to walk their paths in peace, with the hope that our paths will cross as much as possible and allow us to enjoy each other's company.
There are many people whom I would love to have closer to me--physically and spiritually. I'd love to be able to stop over and say hi to many friends who live far, far away. But they're on different paths, and just as I want to stay true to my path, I hope that they stay true to theirs.
There are also people whom I see struggling, whom I see suffering in life, and I think I can see why they're suffering, and I think I can offer them solutions to their problems. But a different path calls for different solutions and approaches, and I must respect the fact that they're in a different place than I and that my advice may not be suitable for them. How often has my advice been ignored, yet the recipient of the advice has gone on to thrive even without following it?
I like to hear how others see life and living. I like to hear about how they see the world from the paths they've chosen. But if I try to get them all onto my path because I think it's the best way, I'll never be able to experience the world through their descriptions from the many different paths were all taking.
Questions to consider:
Think of someone you know who's on a completely different path than yours. What do you know of that person's path?
Why do we try to get others to walk the same paths we're walking?
How would you feel if someone else were to demand (or even suggest) that your path is inappropriate, and that you should follow theirs?
For further thought:
If your love is for the left lane, swing on over there and feel
the wind flying through your hair, and the bugs splatting against your dark glasses. But if the right lane beckons you, indulge your penchant for counting wildflowers in the field or discarded tennis shoes on the freeway. Most important, we must all remember, left-laners or right-laners, we are to be tender with each other.
Marilyn Meberg
Today's quotation:
People take different roads seeking fulfillment
and happiness. Just because they're not on
your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.
H. Jackson Browne
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