Namaste
by Steve Goodier
Has this ever happened to you?
The day after we moved to a small town in Colorado my wife Bev
did grocery shopping. We moved few food items with us so she
filled four grocery carts full. She asked if she could pay with
an out of state check. "We just moved here," she explained, "and
don't have local checks yet."
They said, "Yes, no problem." But when she began looking for her
checkbook, she discovered that she had left it at home.
All of the groceries had been checked and sacked. "I'm so sorry,"
she said, "I thought I had it with me. If I could just leave the
groceries here for a few minutes, I'll run home and get the
checkbook."
"Don't worry about it," the cashier told her. "Take the groceries
home. The next time you are in the store,
you can pay for them."
We had just moved from a large city and she couldn't believe what
she was hearing! This clerk had never seen her before. But she
treated her as if she were a VIP. She was somebody!
Don't you love it when you are treated like you are somebody?
Because the truth is, we are all somebody. We are all important.
And maybe most businesses cannot (and should not) let everybody
pay with credit, but even strangers can be treated with honor and
respect.
"Namaste" is a polite Indian gesture of greeting or farewell.
From Hindi, the word literally means "bowing to you." Namaste has
also been used to mean "I honor the sacred that is within you."
What a remarkable thing it would be to actually honor the sacred
that is within each person we meet! Even strangers. Nobody would
go unnoticed and everybody would count.
Here is an exercise that may dramatically change your life: for
one month treat everybody you meet as if she or he is the most
important person in the world. The man sweeping the sidewalk,
your spouse and children, a teenager in the neighborhood, the
elderly woman seated across the aisle from you -- honor that
which is sacred in all of them.
Give your undivided attention. By your words and actions,
communicate to them all how important they are to you. Show them
great respect and kindness. You may be amazed at what happens to
your relationships!
You may not single-handedly solve the problem of world peace --
but in one small way at least, you will make a great difference.
Namaste.
Steve Goodier's books & newsletter: http://LifeSupportSystem.com.