Some time ago, I asked if anyone might be interested in Guest Blogging. Recently, my friend and cousin, Karen Kronenberger, sent me a quote and some of her own thoughts on a potential topic.
So, today, I would like to share both of these with you. Thanks, Karen, for this great wisdom.
A quote from Kari Kampakis:
“Everyone in your life serves a purpose. Everyone has something to teach you.
And while people who are kind and friendly help teach you who you do want to be, those who are not kind and friendly teach you who you don’t want to be.
So when you encounter someone who hurts your feelings, lean into that feeling. Ask yourself what they did to make you feel that way. Was it the words they chose? Their tone? The way they picked favorites and then ignored everyone else?
Whatever they did, make a pledge. Promise yourself that you’ll never treat anyone the way they treated you. This is how you become a kinder and more compassionate person. This is how you learn from their mistakes.
And when you meet someone you really like, lean into that feeling, too. Ask yourself what they did to make you feel so good. Then make a pledge to yourself to be more like them. This is also how you become a kinder and more compassionate person.
Regardless of how anyone treats you, you stand to benefit. While some people teach you who you do want to be, others teach you who you don’t want to be. And it’s the people who teach you who you don’t want to be that provide some of the most lasting and memorable lessons on social graces, human dignity, and the importance of acting with integrity.”
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Karen’s thoughts:
Besides learning how I do and don’t want to behave, I am thinking I can abhor the poisonous behavior of people and I can choose to not be around the toxicity and / or figure out healing ways not be a party of perpetuating evil.
Is that acting with integrity as well?
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Polly’s thoughts:
This Kampakis quote was profound, in my opinion. As an introvert, I often walk away from interactions with people, second-guessing the entire matter. While I try to “stay in the moment” with that person / people, I seem to be “reading” every bit of the exchange.
So, to hear Kampakis speak to me, to us, about leaning in and learning was magnificent. Even in those situations when I am uncomfortable or with someone I don’t particularly care for. I can learn from them, from their behavior, and let it shape my own, making me a better person. Hopefully.
This was like magic to me.
We live in a large world filled with 7.9 billion people. We are guaranteed to like or dislike everyone we meet to varying degrees. And with each one of those encounters comes a way to better ourselves.
Today I learned.
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“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti
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“That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.”
– Doris Lessing
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“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.”
– Winston Churchill
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The people we meet, and what we do, when we do.
