Unto Thine Own Self...
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cedar_groveFrom The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have.
All courage is a threshold crossing.
I have thought about this a lot recently… stupidly in connection with work. Working as a supply (or substitute) teacher is an act of courage in and of itself, every single day. When you have a regular job, your own class you know what to expect, you know what the school is like, what all the expectations are, how others will treat you, and so on… as a substitute, there is the potential for being in a new situation ten times in every week – that's twice in every day – because in theory, you could be expected to cover one class in one school in the morning, and a different class at the same or a different school in the afternoon. It's like starting a new job every morning and afternoon of your life.
For the most part, it's a challenge that I relish, and I enjoy the variety – but I also enjoy days like today (Friday), when I know that I'm going to be at a school that I visit quite regularly, with a class I know, and know well… because you can get awfully tired being courageous every day of the week… but then again…
Isn't every breath we take an act of courage – the act of living true to oneself in every moment of every day, when it's all too easy to buckle to the pressure of others' expectations of how they believe one should behave? This is, I think, the point that most other miss… Be true – harm none – do as you will… That is the essence of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.
Courage is the heart's blossom.
All courage is a threshold crossing.
I have thought about this a lot recently… stupidly in connection with work. Working as a supply (or substitute) teacher is an act of courage in and of itself, every single day. When you have a regular job, your own class you know what to expect, you know what the school is like, what all the expectations are, how others will treat you, and so on… as a substitute, there is the potential for being in a new situation ten times in every week – that's twice in every day – because in theory, you could be expected to cover one class in one school in the morning, and a different class at the same or a different school in the afternoon. It's like starting a new job every morning and afternoon of your life.
For the most part, it's a challenge that I relish, and I enjoy the variety – but I also enjoy days like today (Friday), when I know that I'm going to be at a school that I visit quite regularly, with a class I know, and know well… because you can get awfully tired being courageous every day of the week… but then again…
Isn't every breath we take an act of courage – the act of living true to oneself in every moment of every day, when it's all too easy to buckle to the pressure of others' expectations of how they believe one should behave? This is, I think, the point that most other miss… Be true – harm none – do as you will… That is the essence of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.
