Waterfall in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico
Photo Credit: Doree Weller
I think we’ve all been in a situation where we desperately want to make our words understood, but for whatever reason, the person we’re speaking to can’t hear us. It’s a definite temptation to get louder, more animated, and more insistent. I can tell you that from my own experience, and from what others have told me, it almost never works.
“Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”
― Rumi
This is such a lovely quote for so many reasons. First off, it’s true. Second, I want to be the person who meets every situation with grace and poise. I’ll never forget the story of the man who tried to publicly shame a Sikh woman on Reddit, and instead of responding with anger (which would have been totally justified), she responded in such a beautiful way that even though I read this story three years ago, it still hasn’t lost its impact on me.
I aspire to be the rain.
As you start your Monday, take a moment to think about who you want to be, and then remember that as you go forward and interact with the world.
Doree Weller 