Challenges

Sometimes we think we have challenges, but honestly we don't have any idea of what we are capable of doing.

Here's an example. As I walked into a Starbucks coffee shop the other day, I was surprised to see a dwarf hunched over in the corner. He seemed to be wrestling with a backpack on the ground. Not only was he very short, but he had no arms; only small stumps extended a few inches from his shoulders. He was tugging at the straps of the backpack with his teeth, trying to lift it up and turn it around. He looked like he was maybe twenty or twenty-five-years-old.

I watched for a moment as he fought with the backpack and its contents, trying without success to arrange things with his teeth, pulling and lifting. I wasn't sure what to do. No one seemed to be paying any attention. I don't know if he was hoping someone would step forward to assist, but I decided to ask.

I said, " Would you like some help, or would you rather do that yourself?," wondering if this way of posing the question would do, not wanting to sound condescending. He said "Yeah," with a puff and a smile of resignation, and I felt relieved.

Even with the use of my hands and arms, the task was not easy. A computer laptop had fallen out of the backpack and was pushing a black rain jacket onto the floor. The backpack kept flopping open. I finally got it arranged and then found that zipping it closed was not easy either.

When I was done, he asked me to sling it over his shoulder, leaning forward and extending his right stump towards me. The pack was heavy. Once we got it on his back, he thanked me, grabbed a donut he had placed nearby with his teeth, and walked over to a counter. I picked up my coffee order, turned and saw him walking out the door to stand at a bus stop, where he juggled the donut in his mouth, angling his face to the sky to prevent morsels falling to the ground.

I don't think he was the type of person to worry about how he was going to get things done; he just somehow did them.

As I walked away I thought: what an obvious reminder that was, out of the blue, to be thankful and count my blessings. And what a reminder from a stranger that "not trying" should never really be an option...

--------------------
(For more posts, click on some of the blog archive links in the box on the right)

The benefits of a positive attitude

The relative quiet of a Sunday is always a good time to reflect on the week that passed and to take a look at the week ahead.

Recently, I read a quotation from the Dalai Lama that resonates with its simplicity but also with its positive nature. If there's something I think we can all aspire to, it's to be more positive. This applies especially to me. When I was younger, I seemed to naturally lean toward negativity. To some extent, I still do, but much less so, because I've been working on seeing things differently.

If you feel the world is going to hell in a handbasket, it doesn't do any good to wail and make it worse. Turn the perspective around, and at the very least you'll feel better, because by seeing the positive aspect of a situation, you're contributing to make something better, even if it's a little thing like attitude.

It helps to remember that negative thoughts also contribute to stress, and we know that stress kills.

The easiest way to inject some positivity into life, is to start out by being thankful. Look around you in the morning or in the evening and see what you can be grateful for.

Here's that quote:

“Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”

The Dalai Lama recognizes how all things are connected and how his own outlook can affect the whole.

It's an affirmation that costs me nothing to try. And like the words of so many other sages and spiritual leaders, it could literally change my life.

Notes:
1.The Dalai Lama was quoted in Zen Habits, a web site about life balance with close to 74,000 subscribers.

2.If you'd like to read more about giving thanks, see 8 Tremendously Important Ways That Gratitude Can Change Your Life.

3. The photo is courtesy of Damien Moorehouse who made it available on the stock photo site, http://www.sxc.hu/.

-----------
>To send to a friend, click on the envelope icon.