A re-counted story from a dear yogi friend of mine...
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The walls, paper thin as they are, do not drown out ANY of the sounds of the morning activities of the next door neighbour. I swear... how long DOES it take to cough up a lung anyway?! Today was my day to sleep in and to awake to a deluge of hacking and phlegm-ing was not my idea of a leisurely sleep-in day.
“These darned walls, I muttered”... “so thin!” As I know and practice yoga on a daily basis, I really should be more enlightened, but in this moment, the first thing that raced across my mind was “SHUT-UP ALREADY!” So... the next thing that raced after that racing thought was to grab the nearest object and hurl it in the direction of the hacking neighbour. Yes... it wasn’t very “yogi-like”. And to boot, it was also a book on yoga quotes and stories about the meanings of yoga and it’s benefits.
Yikes... okay... so I spent the rest of the day mulling over my actions of the morning, but really... on my morning I get to sleep in... do I have to deal with this sort of thing?
More yoga... here I come.
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This little story had me keeled over on in the tea-room at the yoga studio as my dear friend recounted her morning wake-up. She then went on to say that she has now invested in some really good ear-plugs. ... I smiled. She asked me if I ever get mad or upset at things. I said that I really don’t know the last time I was really upset... enough to throw the book at someone. But yes, there are times I become frustrated at things, but I realize that I am human and I deal with “sh... stuff”... and we all deal with these things no matter how enlightened or benevolent we think we are. Yes, even the Dalai Lama has his moments... he is human.
The key is... are we “aware”? Are we understanding that at any moment we get to make a choice. What good does it do them or me to become upset to the point of say... throwing a book at the wall? Sure it might feel good as we exert some energy, but afterwards... what do we feel like in our heart? Does it really feel better? Or do we spend the rest of the day feeling bad that we put a hole in the wall or broke a window or caused our knuckles to bleed after punching a tree. Yeah... who did we really show who’s boss!! ?
Choice: do I chose to make a point and be right OR do I chose to be happy and say, “what ever makes you happy... you are right”..and let it go. Life isn’t necessarily about proving a point... unless you believe that, then hey... keep on trying to make your point... I’m sure it will stick into someone some day... but in the mean-time... how many grey hairs do you have, how many hurt feelings happen, how many sleepless nights are met with aggravation and strife ... and for what?
Choose to be happy, choose to be. But hey... I’m so glad that there are stories like this that are shared as I had the best belly laugh I’ve had in a long time and I was so pleased she shared this moment of her life with me.
...be happy.