I’ve had many great teachers in my life. Most of them did not teach in a classroom or from a pulpit. They probably didn’t even consider themselves teachers at all. I’m talking about the teachers who taught me about myself. At first, I think they are a rare breed…and then, the more I think about it, I realize they’re everywhere.
My greatest teachers are those who challenge me the most. The ones who get on my last nerve, push all my buttons, frustrate me to no end. They are the ones who have the opposite perspective, are self-righteous and convinced of their rightness, talk way more than they listen.
It took me a while to gain this perspective. It was much easier to dismiss their childishness, judge their motives and blame them for my discomfort. But they gave me what I could not have known otherwise…a mirror to my own smallness and an opportunity to grow into the me I want to be.
My greatest teachers are also those who demonstrate kindness and compassion in the face of hatred, patience in the face of overwhelming odds against them, and peace in the face of violence and destruction. Their demonstration keeps hope alive in me. When all I see is a world filled with sorrow and sadness, these teachers are evidence of all that is right and true and kind in the world. I’m not sure there is a greater gift than this.
I never need to look very far for a teacher. My only effort is to be the best student.
With great humility
Paula
