Day 119 "Content To Listen"

"Eat your veggies" my mom would say.

When I was younger I never understood the importance of following those wise words. There never seemed to be room for the healthy stuff, but put a piece of cake in front of me, no matter how full I was, and it has no chance at all against my sweet tooth.

And that's the way it is when we are children isn't it? Told constantly by the ones we love and who love us, the ones who have sworn to protect us throughout our brief journey, of all the best ways to get by in this vast world; and all we can do is shrug these thoughtful words of wisdom off in our youthful ignorance.

But now we are older, and now we have been saved more than once by the kind words of our life teachers, more times that we could possibly know. Now we are old enough to respect and listen to the life lessons that they have always provided us. Now we have learned to push aside the screaming of the ego long enough to hear the words of our thoughtful teachers.

I look back on my youth, back to the days where I thought that I knew what was best for me, back when I thought I knew everything, and how I always fought the opinions of the ones that I deemed in a position of power.

Always holding a fist raised in the air and in defiance to the ones that seemed to be burying me with their opinions.

Now, after all these years and after all the pitfalls that my teachers gave me the knowledge to cross, I look back on those days and am happy that I no longer need to feel like I need to resist the advice of others.

Now I am open to listen to anyone who I may respect, and I would not want to go back to that ignorant and youthful time where I thought I knew all the answers, that time where the words of wisdom were lost among the loud sound of defiance.

Even now though I know that I will always question the answers given to me, even now my fist still tries to raise in that familiar defiance, and even now I am learning to be content to listen.

Today I learned to be thankful for all the advice.

Today I learned to appreciate the time my teachers put in.

Today I learned from you.