No Throwing Coals: Learning from the Past to Have a Present
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal meaning to throw it at someone else; you’re the one who gets burned. –Buddha I look at my daughter on the first anniversary of her birth and feel nothing but gratitude to the people – all of them – who were instrumental in my finding my way to her, my wife, and our present life. Without knowing these folks I’d never have gotten here at all, although it’s taken me ages to see this clearly. My life’s trajectory altered radically a few years ago when I finally realized that no matter what others did to or for me, I was the only person who actually chose my path; nobody else could have done it for me. I chose to act, to react, to judge or not; I chose it all, though in some cases I didn’t know any better. I am so deeply thankful I know a little better now. In the past, I blamed a few people for many things. I thought some particular woes were …