April 15

HONESTY MONTH: DAY 15: “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” – Buddha

So, as we walk this road, of integrity, honor and truth; what the Indigenous natives of this land call “The Good, Red Road,” we must begin to live in honesty. Then, we must stay on this road to the end. It is an interesting concept for those who believe there are degrees of honesty.

All my life, I have known others who believe deeply in the concept of white lies or half-truths. I do not understand this. I know only the truth.

I am undergoing a study for the next 10 months that I started in March on the spiritual Vedas underlying the 8-limb tree of yoga. The one I am working on for this month, beginning this morning, is Satya, or non-lying.

What I truly love about Vedic tradition is its adherence to the same principles for over 5000 years. There is no room for politics or white lies or any of the BS that we allow into our experience in this culture. It is refreshing and resonates so deeply within my soul. There is no room for any of the wishy-washy crap that is just a mask for dishonesty.

When I am honest within my inner and outer self, I am able to be honest with you if you should ask. The funny thing is, I don’t mind if you do or if you don’t. There is no need for me to give you my truth. If you ask, I will answer honestly. That is not always what others term “nice” but it is honest.

I don’t consider myself a nice person. I have kindness in my spirit, but not niceness. I think niceness is a condition that is false from the truth I experience. Nice people make me nervous. It is the kind of space that I was brought up to be in. Say please and thank you. Wash your hands. Sit quietly. On and on. None of those things appeals to me.

I am polite, but not nice. I will spend time with those who interest me for as long as I can. For others, not so much. I am not interested in politics, gossip, weather discussions, or other trivial conversation. I want to know about people, about their lives & what they are doing. What they feel and what they have done that is good and adding to the world.

If you want to talk about sports or fashion, I will walk away. If you want to talk about things that stir my heart and not my ego, I am your girl. But not shallow, dead and lackluster stories of others or movie stars or athletes. Yawn!

I have seen the lies behind being nice. It means being less honest because you cannot handle my truth. If you ask, I will answer. It is that simple. Better, please, not to ask if you cannot hear it.