Chasing the Rainbow (Part 4)

Passion. Integrity. Perspective. Humility.

Humility

The fact that I am passionate, have integrity, and value perspective means that I go all out in just about everything that I do. Just about because sometimes even I get tired. 

What does it mean to be humble? to have humility?

It means that I realize that I have to remember that everybody has their limitations. It means that each one of us is AMAZING in our own way. 

Two recent conversations are the inspiration for this post.

The first happened about three weeks ago. I was driving with a new-found friend to one of Rio's amazing out-of-the-city beaches. 

Our conversation was bouncing around various topics when we stopped at a redlight and were handed, through the car window, a brochure for a new apartment complex development--this is not uncommon in Rio. The slogan for this particular complex: Pra viver bem e uma arte. (To live well is an art.) Isn't that the truth!! As we continued driving, our conversation regarding "the good life" and "living well" ensued. Both of us talked about the need for God in our daily life, the need for treating ourselves well, our bodies are our temples. However, my friend said something that REALLY hit me. He said, "Sara, if we all just live our lives trying to make the person next to us better, we could all be happy, healthy, successful, living the art."

I was like, HOLY SMOKES! That is SO true. So I tested it. I thought about being in traffic--which I can sincerely say I hate--and letting the person next to me merge even though they were coming from the shoulder not an actual lane. I thought about standing in line at the grocery store with a cart full of items and letting the person behind me with three items go first. I thought about sharing the knowledge of my practice while listening to the faculty, with the frame of mind that I too am learning. 

In ALL situations, the end result is win/win. It's really true. Humility. One has to let go of egocentric desires and the need to be "right" or "first". But if we can manage that, karma seems to kick in, and good things happen! If we all just live our life so that the person next to us is better. So simple, yet so complex.

The second conversation that inspired this post happened just yesterday at lunch. I ate with the music teacher and a Catholic brother. This music teacher is a phenomenal person! Since first joining the faculty at my current school, this man is always positive, always shows gratitude for any help I provide, and is always smiling. Literally! ALWAYS smiling. 

Yesterday, we talked about happiness. We talked about friends we have who are highly successful professionally. Friends who have the expensive house, car, material belongings, yet they are unhappy. 

His bottom line: I know who I am. I am happy with who I am. He quoted a line from the 1968 Peter Seller's film The Party. 

The line he said has stuck with him for a number of years is when one character (sorry I don't know the film) asks Sellers: Who do you think you are? And Peter Seller's character replies: I don't think who I am, I KNOW who I am. 

Humility. The brother went on, referencing The Lion King. That moment in the movie when Simba sees his reflection for the first time in lake and Rafiki appears in the reflection too. Is it his father? Or is it The Father? Brother added the spiritual element to our conversation at lunch (not surprising, he is a man of the church afterall). However, the need to have faith, belief in something bigger than us, belief that we don't own the control but instead are here to do the work of something bigger. This generates humility.

We are human. We screw up. We are constantly evolving and learning and living. To do so with humility and grace is most certainly an art!