Chiming in, hopefully
I really want to 'chime in', like, in the way that metal or bamboo chimes do, when the wind blows through them and they make a sweet noise, a noise that they hold within them all the rest of the time, but now the wind comes and so the sound comes, and it's like music. I don't know if I can do that, but I will try.
I want to say that it takes two (or more) to carry a grudge. Think of it like a big ol' piece of furniture that you are hauling around. If you set down your end, the other person has to carry all the weight. Let them, if they will it. You can go on, unencumbered.
My other favorite thought on this subject: Holding resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
I am sad that folks want to tell each other how to live, what the Worlds want and need of them; I think we each need to figure that out for ourselves. If someone is truly infringing upon my rights (dropping a bomb on my house, or keeping me from marrying whom I please), then I know I need to fight. But those things are really few and far between. Almost all the time, I can get my problems solved without making anyone else change their behavior. I think an awful lot of energy gets wasted on battles that don't need to be fought. And around the corner, there? Bigger, real-er, problems are getting bigger and real-er.
This is only one way, my way. My Mama Oshun told me once, "Try some Honey, grrl. Vinegar only weakens everyone's bones." And I think that's pretty much true, at least in my experience. I know a lot of people and many of them have opinions I'd like to hear. But I'd rather hear them mouth to ear than from a soapbox or through a bullhorn. If you're talking to everyone, I figure you don't really want individual responses; you want a mob response. I'm not interested in that 'conversation'; I want to meet you backstage and see your eyes while you say that.
For myself, I just want to keep on truckin': writing my new Truths as they occur to me, Teaching what Wisdom I can glean from many long years of Experience, singing what Songs of beauty I am lucky enough to receive. If we meet on the path, I will offer you water from my spring, taste the apples you've gathered. Maybe we can have some laughs, maybe even some disagreements; but when we part, I will not carry Anger for you in my heart. I'm trying to keep my heart free for other things; I want to live such that when the wind blows, my song is clear.
I want to say that it takes two (or more) to carry a grudge. Think of it like a big ol' piece of furniture that you are hauling around. If you set down your end, the other person has to carry all the weight. Let them, if they will it. You can go on, unencumbered.
My other favorite thought on this subject: Holding resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
I am sad that folks want to tell each other how to live, what the Worlds want and need of them; I think we each need to figure that out for ourselves. If someone is truly infringing upon my rights (dropping a bomb on my house, or keeping me from marrying whom I please), then I know I need to fight. But those things are really few and far between. Almost all the time, I can get my problems solved without making anyone else change their behavior. I think an awful lot of energy gets wasted on battles that don't need to be fought. And around the corner, there? Bigger, real-er, problems are getting bigger and real-er.
This is only one way, my way. My Mama Oshun told me once, "Try some Honey, grrl. Vinegar only weakens everyone's bones." And I think that's pretty much true, at least in my experience. I know a lot of people and many of them have opinions I'd like to hear. But I'd rather hear them mouth to ear than from a soapbox or through a bullhorn. If you're talking to everyone, I figure you don't really want individual responses; you want a mob response. I'm not interested in that 'conversation'; I want to meet you backstage and see your eyes while you say that.
For myself, I just want to keep on truckin': writing my new Truths as they occur to me, Teaching what Wisdom I can glean from many long years of Experience, singing what Songs of beauty I am lucky enough to receive. If we meet on the path, I will offer you water from my spring, taste the apples you've gathered. Maybe we can have some laughs, maybe even some disagreements; but when we part, I will not carry Anger for you in my heart. I'm trying to keep my heart free for other things; I want to live such that when the wind blows, my song is clear.