June 5

HUMILITY MONTH: DAY 5: “When things are going well, be mindful of adversity. When prosperous, be mindful of poverty. When loved, be mindful of thoughtfulness. When respected, be mindful of humility.” – Gautama Buddha
I have known folks who were successful in the world, very wealthy, and well-respected and/or famous. Some of them were very humble people who taught me that trait. I am in awe of that.
Many teachers are those who speak little of what is happening with them. They are always mindful of both things that go well and those that don’t. They do not boast, nor do they whine or cry about their lives. They are quietly in acceptance of all of it. They do not seem to recognize the dichotomy of good or bad, happy or sad. They are joyful in the things that life brings, knowing that we will learn most from those things that create discomfort.
I have learned to not have a bad day, seldom to have even a bad moment; for is not the day or the moment the gift? I do not wish to impose my judgment on these things, because they are here as a token of the grace I receive every morning when I open my eyes and take a breath on a new day.
I wish always to be mindful of that moment; and of that gift. If I choose to live in the space between judgments of good and bad, I am more comfortable than when I am choosing to name and label my life. The greatest gifts and teachings have only come from those times I called “bad” or “sad”; but I was in great error, for those times became the foundation of the faith I have today.
I have not always been that certain of prosperity/poverty dividing lines; although I can honestly say I know them to be just as arbitrary. Today I have little of the material wealth I have enjoyed at other times. In my life, this is about the leanest time I have ever lived. However, it is the richest if I consider the wealth of good health, the magnificent beaches I can walk on whenever I want, the abundance of time given to me every day to spend as I wish, and the enormous richness of the people with whom I can spend it all. I am totally mindful of those gifts, which is, by far; greater than that of many wealthy folks who are impoverished for lack of those particular gifts.
I wish always to be mindful of the grace in which I live and move, whether I am respected or not. Which, I believe, is none of my business. My only concern is that I live in a way that brings me greater self-respect.
If things are going well or not, my only task is to be grateful for all of my life, for the grace is mine, nonetheless. If things are going well, I am grateful. If I am living in pain because I am not liking some aspect of my life, I am grateful for the acceptance which is sure to come soon. Then I am grateful for the acceptance and the lessons.
If I feel prosperous, it is only because of the gratitude that I bring to that situation. Abundance and prosperity have been with me all along, because I am rich, as I said, in friends, in fellowship, in love, in health, and in so many ways! I am prosperous because EVERY SINGLE moment of life is precious, no matter what I believe about it. That I have learned, over and over again. May I never be wasteful enough or ungracious enough to wish them other than exactly what they are.
This is the course of my grace. It is absolute and wonderful. And I am brought to tears and my knees, time after time by its presence in my life.