Monday, March 9, 2009

Monday Morning


If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher."
~Pema Chodron
I love Pema Chodron and had to share this quote from Big Happy Buddha. It was in this morning's email. There is, of course, a story to go with the quote. There is a man who attends the college baseball games that we go to who just drives all of us nuts. Thankfully, he doesn't come to every game -- just enough so that you hear a collective groan from our section when we see him coming up the stairs. I decided this year, I would not let him *get to me*. I would even smile when I saw him. He's been to one game, was loud and obnoxious as usual, calling one of the men he talks with by the wrong name for the second year in a row, tapping me on the shoulder to ask who was catching our game (why doesn't he do his homework and read about the team??), and on and on and on. He always sits in one of the season ticket holders seats. He knows she sits there. He sits there anyway and when he sees her coming moves. You get the idea.

This year, I smiled when I saw him coming up the steps and we greeted each other with a *it's baseball time!* He hadn't changed at all (groan), but something in me had. I told Mr. Dragon that I was going to be more *Buddhist* this year! Now, I'm not sure that is what I'm doing, but, with just one game down in his presence, it was much more bearable and laughable! If I learned anything it was to laugh!

Now I have to learn to laugh at the calls the umpires make.

Thank you, Ame Pema Chodron.
You always teach me something

And so, dear readers, I hope your week is full of laughs and lessons learned!



2 comments:

carolyn said...

hi snap! what a great quote and a great life lesson too! it's kinda like don't sweat the small stuff.
when things like that situation arise i tend to ask myself, is this going to matter next week, next month, next year? you get the idea. sometimes it helps me to see things in perspective.
i hope your week is also filled with laughs and lessons learned!

Pretty Things said...

I hope it's full of laughs, and that the lessons aren't bad ones, LOL!