One of my colleagues at work is moving to a different area of the company.
(This is regarded as a good thing at our organization.) Yesterday, the individual
pulled me aside, and gave me a parting gift – which was completely unexpected.
(This is like someone giving you a present on their birthday – you are supposed to be the one giving a gift to them.) I was quite surprised, and very touched by her kindness.
I read the card (which was lovely), then open the gift bag – and audibly gasped.
I was truly stunned by the present. I didn’t really have an expectation of what might be
in the sack (heck, I had no idea I was about to receive anything!) – but the gift I received was amazing:
I was (and still am) completely flattered that my colleague thought of me in selecting such a beautiful, meaningful gift. Once again, I am deeply touched by the kindness of the people around me.
This morning, as I sat down to meditate, I saw this calm, peaceful, wise sage before me; and I felt a soothing, warm, grounded feeling come over me. Simply by resting my eyes on the statue and receiving the image, I felt the peace of the Buddha paired with the generosity and kindness of my colleague. That feeling of peace and gratitude then shifted into feelings of the shared respect my colleague and I have for each other… and those feelings quickly evolved into feelings of care and compassion I have for other people I know…and those feelings grew into a felt sense of metta even for people I don’t know at all… and I just couldn’t help but smile at the expansiveness of it all.
And I have my colleague to thank for this – for getting my day off to a beautiful start.
Stef
Aaw… this is so touching… :)
Thanks Hanna; I absolutely agree. :)
Namaste!
Sadhu. :)
Well, you are a very likable person. :)
Aw, thanks! :)
Wow, that’s so incredibly thoughtful. What a lovely gift (and surprise!).
The person who gave me the gift is very thoughtful; I’m lucky to have such amazing people in my life (including fellow blog readers and commenters). :)