©fspyma
Yesterday my mentor told me that as part of her practice, at every meal she leaves something on her plate to share with her family.
And she doesn’t leave food on her plate because they don’t have enough food…it’s because she works to think less of herself and more of others.
Now that might be something that’s common in your house, but when I sit down to eat, my goal is to devour everything on that plate. ?
(Basically, it’s all about myself.)
So when I thought about how much this woman loves her family, and how it comes across in her practice of mindful eating, frankly I was embarrassed for myself.
To me, though, these feelings that arise are just another component of the student-teacher relationship. I don’t negotiate my feeling cruddy, I don’t choose to wallow in self-pity about how I am a selfish person, and I certainly don’t try to justify my own behavior so I don’t look so bad.
Instead I say, “Oh wow – now I have got to examine that tendency in myself. What does that mean for me?” In this case, I have to come face to face with someone’s ability to give back and care for another human.
Moments like these are great reminders that I can be unafraid to accept that I don’t know it all. I can receive the lesson, humbly and gratefully. And maybe one day I will not be afraid to share what is on my plate.
– Gene Dunn & Foundation of Love
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