food for thought
we are the weather
"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration; I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a human is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming." - Haim G. Ginott, Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers
I came back to this quote recently in closing one of my yoga classes last week because I needed it. I needed it and it turns out many of my students needed it too because a herd of them came to me after asking for the author and where they could find it. Every moment has potential. Every thought, every conversation, every teeny tiny decision that you barely even notice is a choice. It's not always easy to stay on the sunny side of the street. But it is always available even in the darkest of storms. Speak kindly to yourself and those you come across. We're all doing the best we can with what we have and what we know. If you can, make it a little easier for someone today. And surely, don't make it harder for yourself. Life is beautiful and also hard enough.
