HAPPY MONDAY
They have filled our mailbox for the last three months. ‘Tis the season for catalogs. I didn’t complain about the trees that no longer exist because of them this year. Why? Catalogs are a great source for phrases designed to entice, but the phrases often speak to my soul. For example, a quote “We are the owners of a story not common” Was followed by a beautiful paragraph about a group of artisans who seek out the unexpected in wood, finding beauty in its imperfections and honoring the imperfections in the pieces they carved. One of the artisans said he sought to “Highlight and honor the tree itself,” another spoke of the tree as, “Sustained by the hands of many,” and another talked of the use of the tree as being “Recovered, Revived, Revealed, Redeemed.” I found solace in their words, perhaps because I am married to a living walking and breathing tree hugger – lover.
As I looked at the magnificently handcrafted furniture, I could visualize “the tree itself” being highlighted, cut, and carved by the hands of many in a manner that honored its naturally beautiful growth. After sitting with the catalog for a long time, I threw it away. Nothing was needed nor could I afford one single item being advertised. But it pushed me to think and in doing so achieved an unintended goal for sure.
What if we routinely embraced the unexpected and found beauty in the imperfections of those we encounter daily – “highlight(ing) and honor(ing) the tree (person) itself” and not as we want them to be? Do you think it might affect how they respond to us?
Practicing this isn’t so hard. The attitude that we bring to an encounter is usually the one that we encounter. Notice the word, “usually.” Be reminded the other also brings an attitude to the encounter.
I walked into the car repair shop that would hold my vehicle hostage for a few weeks. Prior experience with the receptionist had me prepared for a frosty encounter. As I entered the door, I consciously decided that frost had no place in my Monday morning. “Happy Monday,” with a lilt was how I greeted her. She smiled a smile that I had not seen before and returned the greeting. When I returned after several weeks, I was greeted by name with a warm hello.
I’d like to believe I honored her prickly ways by being true to me. I don’t know her “uncommon story.” I didn’t try to change her. In being me perhaps she recovered and revived a bit of herself she had lost due to prickly customers and revealed and redeemed a little of her forgotten humanness. That’s what I choose to believe…Lessons for a catalogue.
PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Teach others to treat you the way you want to be treated by treating them the way you want to be treated.
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