How Not To Be

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” -Tao Te Ching

A good friend recently told me the reason he became a writer is because of a simple comment by an English teacher he liked in high school. The teacher said those two magic words my friend says he’ll never forget…

“Good writing.”

 And that was that. A simple two-word compliment from an influential teacher at an influential time led someone to choose a career of a lifetime. Maybe you also had such a teacher along your way of life, someone who inspired you in some influential or even magical way. Those teachers are some of life’s greatest gifts. But there are other kinds of teachers, no less important, who have nothing to do with school…

 -The man in a hurry who blew through the café doors without a word, almost making me spill a tray of hot coffee…

-The acquaintance who is always late when we meet, then either talks negatively about everyone else or all about herself for an hour, never pausing for even a moment to ask, “How are you?” then leaves me with the check…

-That driver looking at his phone who cut in front of me on the freeway without signaling…

These “teachers” have simple lessons to share as well. They can be people we don’t even know. They teach us how not to be. They teach us to be courteous to others. They teach us to be on time and to respect other people. They teach us to listen. They teach us to ask how others are doing. They teach us to be grateful and generous. They teach us to let others go first. They teach us to let things go. They teach us to find light in any situation. They teach us to be the bigger person.  

Teachers arrive when they’re needed. They usually arrive at a certain time to teach us a certain lesson. They leave an impression on us for a reason. They are people in our lives, teachers in our lives, who make us better people.

Thank you for reading and sharing. And remember to always go where the love is, and be the love the world needs right now. Namaste.