Friends, Our Most Wonderful Teachers
“We’ll be friends forever, won’t we Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
‘Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Today is the day to begin to challenge yourself.
It doesn’t matter whether it is completing a hike in the Himalayas, learning to surf (either the waves or the net) or just smiling and saying hello to a stranger. Stretch yourself, give a little more of yourself
and watch your confidence soar.
One of my challenges is that I have always been somewhat shy around people I don’t know well. I find that unless they start a conversation with me I just can’t seem to put two words together. But after watching my good friend, Lynn, while in Hawai’i with her a few years ago, I knew that being a whole lot less shy was a gift I had to cultivate within myself.
Wherever she is, when she walks down the street she will always have a smile on her face and a positive comment for many she meets. During one short walk we took in Honolulu she praised the workmanship of a man creating wood carvings, told a lovely elderly woman how beautiful she was, spoke a few Hawaiian words to a couple of young guys and got smiles and Alohas in return.
I am so grateful for these experiences with her. I saw how easy it could be and how, in this small but significant act of kindness and friendship, she is creating a happier, more joyful world.
I have released some of my own self-imposed fears and now look for opportunities to live more like my friend, Lynn. I refuse to let shyness keep me from giving a smile and a Hello or a sharing laughter with the people we met on the street.
Continued………