We all have them: things we’ve learned over our lifetime. Over five decades of living has taught me a few things. Here are twenty-five of the hundreds, probably thousands, that I’ve learned.
The world is full of magic.
Value- Everyone and everything is supremely valuable. We decide, moment by moment, encounter by encounter, whether we agree with that truth.
Trust- It's better to bear the scars of misplaced trust than to live with the open wounds of distrust.
Forgiveness- First cousin to distrust. The ability to forgive is a superpower that all of us have but use far too infrequently.
Silence is golden- External silence does not diminish internal noise.
Beliefs don't always supersede facts and vice versa.
Faith is not a noun, it's a verb transitive (action and object).
Hope can be ignited, extinguished, and renewed in an instant.
Gratitude is a state of being, a way of being in the world. I endeavor to invite it into every event and not to find myself without it.
Give freely- Prompts to give are an invitation to complete the "…freely you have received…" cycle.
Wisdom wants to be found; it is ours for the asking. The challenge is not to assume you have it.
Love is another of our superpowers (with forgiveness). We choose and decide who to love and who not to love.
Judging- To judge a person(s) is to announce a final verdict on an evolving, changing, complex being. It says that in a world that is full of organisms that change constantly, this person will not and cannot change. It's hubris…
Oneness- We are all connected. There is no us, them, those, or other.
Hate wounds the hater and the hated. It should not be applied to people so much as to actions, and even then, it should be quickly evicted.
Paradox over orthodox- Orthodoxy does not accommodate paradox, and the world/universe is full of it…we are walking paradoxes.
Patience over tolerance- Tolerance has a limit based on the capacity or decision of the person tolerating. Patience is acceptance with no imposed limit.
There's knowing, not-knowing, and un-knowing (hyphens intentional). I can't truly know until I acknowledge that I am in the place of not-knowing (beginner's mind), and willing to un-know what I "know."
Relationship and community- I am my best self when I live in awareness and love of my community.
Delaying gratification- I find that delaying gratification of a vice or non-virtuous habit increases discipline and virtue.
Motivation always has a source. Don't let the successful outcome cause you to be unaware of what is motivating the actions.
Time - Some things can only be understood or comprehended through time and experience.
Age and time are not always relative to maturity. Some of the traits of maturity can be caught and/or imparted early, and some of us go to the grave without it.
Abundance is a way of seeing that makes me aware of what I have/can access and not what I can't. The lack that exists is a human construct that I must interact with but must be careful not to be ruled by.
We are all teachers and role players - Everything and everyone sends a message. We're always teaching: consciously and unconsciously, overtly and covertly. We're either the protagonist or antagonist in someone's story.