I am spending this week in San Francisco, due to the fact that my husband needed some surgery. Yesterday, I took a break and walked up the street to Starbucks. While there, I noticed a woman come in and buy two sandwiches, a dessert, coffee...quite a pile of food, so I held the door for her as we exited together. Right outside the door,she handed the food to a very tall, beautiful but bedraggled black man who seemed, perhaps, homeless. He appeared to be waiting for her. "Here you go! Enjoy" she said, handing off the food and turning and walking on her way.
I felt like weeping. So much fear, so much pain, so much anger and hurt in the world that we (I) can do not very much at all about. But in that moment, one woman addressed one other human being, in the way she could. Both no doubt benefitted. I know I did.
If we begin to get in touch with whatever we feel with some kind of kindness, our protective shells will melt, and we'll find that more areas of our lives are workable.
Pema Chödrön
When Things Fall Apart
