A Painter's Wisdom... 10/20/2010
http://www.blissful-wisdom.com/a-painters-wisdom.html A friend of mine, named Terry, was teaching me the art of painting the inner walls of a well-worn townhouse today. After filling plenty of holes with drywall mud and then sanding/smoothing down a few other filthy walls, we stepped outside for a break. During our conversation a casually dressed neighbor named Simone dropped by and began to tell us of her ongoing 'problems'. Entertaining a cigarette, this rather dissatisfied mother of two moaned about her abusive, ex-husband along with a few of her rather 'difficult' friends. After listening for awhile, Terry and I spoke about growing up in the sixties and early seventies when disrespect for authority was the norm. We both mentioned to Simone that family life was often so mixed up and disfunctional that kids like us grew up without having a clear understanding of what safe and respectful behavior was all about. Confused childhood, followed by our own failed marriages, had been our road in life. We learned the hard way, over time, to express safe, respectful behavior. Simone kept mulling over the 'difficult' people in her life. And after a few minutes, Terry finally piped up and spoke seriously. He said to Simone: "There will always be those who are struggling, and those who are at peace with themselves. There will be unemployed people, and successful people. There will be those who are considerate, and those who are disrespectful. All of that is a part of life. What I do with all that, is to simply be the best person I can be. I avoid abusive people when I can, and when I can't, I do my best to deal with them. I just don't waste my time finding fault with others, or blaming others for my own shortcomings. I have learnt to do my work and live my life in an honest and considerate way. All my decisions and actions have consequences. I take responsibility for that now." I came home today and had to recall what Terry said. His words were so full of wisdom. Add Comment |
