“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” -Pema Chodron
Many people go through their days collecting moments that annoyed them. How another driver turns without signaling. How your coffee barista moves at a glacial pace—so slow she has to ask twice what you ordered. The way a coworker talks loudly on her cell phone, even though you practically share the same cubicle.
Things like this happen all the time. We live, work, and play on top of each other—people we know, don’t know, want to know, and don’t know we want to know. We’re bound to get in each other’s way.
What we don’t often realize is that all those different people can enrich our way if we let them.
That careless driver reminds you to stay alert. Your greatest power in an unpredictable world is your ability to respond well to things that happen around you.
The barista teaches you to take a deep breath and slow down. Nothing is so important a late arrival justifies an ulcer.
Your coworker provides an opportunity to practice effective communication under stress—an invaluable skill both in work and in life.
What teachers have you encountered today, and how can you put that lesson in practice?
