The Teacher Will Appear

I had an interesting lesson. It reminded me of a favorite quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer,

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

It was a Sunday and church didn't start till 11am but I had a few errands to run prior to getting there and, in an effort to make the most of my time (and money), decided to run the errands on the way and prior to church. It was about 9:20 when I pulled out from the house thinking I would drop some items off at my mom's and visit for a spell, run by a friend's house and then run into work. I was at the corner (only a half a block away) when my teacher appeared.

Standing there on the corner, taking a sip of a canned soda and wrapped in all manner of winter gear was "James". I should have let you know that the weather was cold. Lots of snow all over and some folks had not yet scooped their sidewalks. It was windy. James was prepared to be out in this though. He had his boots, winter coat, hat and gloves. Even with all outerwear, I realized I knew him. This was a gentleman who attends my church!

I pulled up to the stop sign, rolled down the window and asked if he needed a ride somewhere. "Yes! Thank you!" and I told him to hop in. He got in, thanked me again and I asked where he was headed. "To church." He must have noticed the look on my face... remember, church didn't start for a good hour and a half AND our church is across town! Granted, we don't live in a metropolis but across town is STILL a good 5, maybe 6 miles. He continued, "my car broke down last week. Yesterday I dropped my phone and it quit working." He'd already walked about a mile when I saw him.

Explaining that I had several errands before church, I told him I'd take him there first then be back before it started. He asked about my husband, how I was feeling (I've been under the weather) and warmed my heart when he said, "Sister Brown?" I turned to look at him "yes?" "You are a nice lady." Besides that incredible compliment, I learned more about him in that ten minute car ride than I had in the years we'd gone to the same church. Arriving at our destination, he was appreciative and didn't mind being there ninety minutes early.

I took care of my errands and got to church on time. But all that morning, that night and even weeks later, I sit and think.... THAT man has a testimony. He knows what is important and he is committed to it NO MATTER WHAT. Nothing is going to stop him from what is important to him. Not the cold, or the miles long walk, or time.

Would I do that? Not only to attend church, but for any of the other things that I claim are important in my life?

I learned a lot from James that day. And he is an inspiration to me. Thank you, teacher!

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

What are YOU ready to learn?

Just say "NO"

I am the poster child for not being able to say no. For some reason, my actions stem from the belief that I need to take care of others before myself.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

I remember about nine years ago when I ended up in the hospital, because of a disease of choice (yes, you read that right. I made choices that resulted in this condition.) I was in the hospital for over a week and my then-90 year old grandmother (who by the way is THE most wise person I know) wrote me a note as she was unable to come visit. She said, "Anita, you must learn to take care of yourself. If you don't take care of yourself, you will not be able to even help those around you."

Now I would like to say that I arose from that hospital bed, completely changed my life and I am a different person making altogether different choices because of that profound statement. I didn't. I am still working on it. All these years later. But I AM getting better.

Do you know that every time you say "yes" to something, you are saying "no" to something else?
That if you say "yes" to everything, then NOTHING is of real importance? You've just leveled the playing field to say everything is of the same importance.

Yes, it is easy when someone says, "Are you busy?" to say "no".
When they say "Got a minute?" we say "sure".

Be thoughtful when you answer.

If you are busy, say "yes, can we schedule a time to meet?" and when they want a minute of your time, say "no, can we schedule some time later?"

It's your 1440 minutes in a day. Yours to use. Or... yours to give away.

Some of you may remember the song "Cat's in the Cradle". The whole gist of this song is of a man who works all the time and all his boy wants is to spend time with his dad. The dad is too busy. The son grows up. The man retires. The man then aches for a connection with his family but now the son is too busy. "He'd grown up just like me" the man laments, realizing all too late that he sacrificed the best he could've had (a lasting relationship with his son) because he was busy with the good (providing and working for his family). Priorities. It's all about priorities.

USA TODAY did a survey many years ago to find out how much time the average dad spent in one-on-one conversation with their child in the average week (not yelling or screaming). The sad result was 7 minutes.
Is that child important? YES
Is that child a priority? Not really. I mean, he's going to be around for awhile, right? In some cases, they're still around in their twenties and thirties! :)

Priorities. What are you saying yes to?

Practice this:

The next time someone asks you to (fill in the blank) say "No thanks"

OR

you can just buy some time so you make a right (for you) decision and say "Let me think about it".

We need to learn to say "No thanks" 10 times more than we say "yes" because, again, if we are saying "yes" to everything,

we are saying "no" to something important.

In Abundance,

Anita Lewandowski Brown

Stop and smell the Roses? Stop and Look and Listen to All You're Missing

• Do you stop and look at the sky, maybe watching the clouds as they move across the sky, always changing and moving?
• Do you stop and listen to the cacophony of noises at dusk, when the birds and other animals are settling in for the night?
• Have you ever noticed how many colors of green there are? Or marvel at the way the sun skips off the top of moving water? Or smile over the playfulness and awkwardness of young puppies playing and rolling around, tripping over their own big paws? Or listen - just listen - to your favorite CD, whatever it is? Not driving, just sitting, eyes closed, enjoying?

How much beauty do we miss in the average day?

I read the following and it made me ponder the questions - what do I not even notice? or what do I notice but no make the time to enjoy and be grateful for?



In a Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007, a violinist played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After three minutes, a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

• Four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
• Six minutes later, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
• Ten minutes later, a three year-old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.
• Forty-five minutes the musician played. Only six of the people stopped and stayed for a while. About twenty gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.
• An hour later he finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded. There was no recognition.

Now, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story...
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces every written, with a violin worth $3.5 million. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised - Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music every written, with one of the most beautiful instruments... What else are we missing?

What are you missing?

Checked at http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp