My daughter participates in a sunrise yoga class which normally meets in a gym. This particular day, the instructor suggested they meet outside on the pool deck and watch the sun come up against a backdrop of mountains. Part way through the class, a woman came to the pool to swim laps. When she saw the yoga class going on next to the pool, she said loud enough for everyone to hear, “You have got to be kidding me!” Evidently the yoga class was invading her personal space. When the class was over, the instructor said she would turn on the water slide in the children’s pool next door and anyone who wanted to cool off and have some fun could go down the slide. Another of the ladies swimming laps who was in her eighties said, “I’ve always wanted to try that, would you mind if I did?” Several of the class members helped her hop the gate between the two pools and cheered her on as she climbed the steps to the top of the slide. When she went down, she had both arms in the air and was screaming, “Whoopee!” All the yoga class participants were clapping their hands and cheering as she got out of the pool. They were all saying to each other, “When I get to be her age, that’s how I want to be!” In the meantime, the lap-swimmer whose space they had invaded, got out of the lap pool, grabbed her towel, and walked off shaking her head in disgust and muttering derogatory remarks to herself. Which person would you rather be? The choice is yours.
One Sentence Wisdom
- “Traveling through life with curiosity rather than judgement is how one finds the joy in each moment.”
- “At the end of the day, we’re humans. Treat others how you want to be treated or just be quiet.” — Rhea Ripley
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