The Great Teachers

There is a Teaching which says, “When the student is ready the teacher appears.”  Often times those teachers are disguised as cleaning women, hotel porters, small children, grocery store check out clerk, coworkers, or other such unassuming individuals.  When we pause to look at our interaction with those who cross our paths every day, we find a plethora of teachers, with wonderful gifts for us to share. The social consciousness tells us that learning comes from lectures, books, classrooms and certified teachers.  Recently it has became fashionable to have many letters following one's name before a person is given official permission to teach. We teach each other every day. 

One such teacher was a very young woman who worked at the same temporary job I did. She behaved in a very angry manner. Sometimes she could hardly speak for fear of saying something angry which would cost her the job.  I had taken an active dislike to her.  I knew that I must love her, and I did. I firmly believe that my personality will not like every personality it meets. Thus I gave myself permission not to like her at that point in my greater becoming.  One day, as she brushed pass me on her way to somewhere, without the customary excuse me, I saw red.  Yes me, a budding spiritual being, a godling in the making, saw the proverbial red.  No excuses.   

Display of bad manners was one of my triggers; and don't you know everyone knows where those buttons are. So, she pushed my button and it took a while for me to let go of the urge to smack her with all my might. 

On the way home, I begun to talk to my Holy Father about the situation. I was gently reminded that she is a child of this same Holy Father.  I asked permission to dislike her for a while longer.  No, I may not do that, as no one is excluded from the Kingdom.  But, Father, I protested, I do not wish to keep her from the Kingdom, merely to continue to dislike for a while longer. Not forever, just for the a few more days. 

Did I mention that I simply refused to speak with her. My reason, remember no excuses, was the anger was too much for me to deal with. Further more I am the one who said "you can't heal someone else's stuff, you can only heal your own stuff."  So there was nothing I could do but avoid her like the plague I had been thinking she was. I saw how by avoiding her I was adding to the world at which she was angry. Me! The peace lady was helping someone to stay in anger, and aiding and abetting her sense of separation.  All the while pleading that I want to become awake and stay awake.

I did not want to write about this as the whole thing seemed so petty, so very trivial.  Another of those small opportunities I was willing to let escape in order to be right. I had dubbed her as being an angry young woman and insisted on validating my judgement at the cost of my own peace. 

Somewhere between leaving the office and the last toll both before exiting the highway, I gave it up.  Nothing is worth my peace, not even being right. I asked what I may do to rectify the situation and was led to see, that the least I could do is speak to her in a civil manner.  Actions are greater teachers than words anyway. I was teaching her uncivil behavior by refusing to speak with her.  But I must confess, it felt righteous and proper as she could behave very disre­spectfully.

I am grateful! Indeed she was my teacher. Were I not so busy trying to bring everyone into my light, I would have seen that much earlier.  But seeing it is the big plus. Seeing it allowed me to change my mind and choose again. This time I choose peace, and offer that peace to her. Perhaps we could have smoked the peace pipe together, however we did not.  The relationship did not call for overt friendship, merely civility, which I chose extend first.

Thank you to all my teachers, acknowledged or not!