I drove to Boston yesterday to see the Dalai Lama in dialogue with Father Thomas Keating (an architect of Centering Prayer) and Brother David Steindl-Rast (gratefulness.org).The Dalai Lama encouraged us to cultivate seeds of compassion. I passed out free seed packets from The Meditative Gardener, which say "Planting Seeds of Kindness and Mindfulness." (I'm happy to send you a free seed packet :)
I was surprised and a bit put-off by the number of urbanites who gave their well-practiced lines, "I'm good" (meaning "No thanks") as they put their right hand up, palm-out, as a shield between our eyes.
And then i remembered to be grateful to them for not taking seed packets, (which cost me 35 cents apiece) which they weren't going to use.
I had a similar experience recently where I posted pictures of 4 stocking hats I knitted on Facebook, offering them to any relative or friend who would like one. No one responded and I was pretty disappointed and a little hurt. I was investing too much of my perceived self worth in the hats and was disappointed in not "giving" something to someone. You have given me something to think further on today.
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