Radvent Day 6: Humbling

I don't have a lot to say on the subject of humbling. To me it kind of goes hand in hand with the "things I know" post I wrote about on the first day of Radvent. But I was just reminded of something that happened this morning, something that always and without fail reminds me to be humble:

the sky outside my house, 6:30am

I left my house this morning at 6:30 to go to work (I was on time! On time! For the first time in months!), and emerged from my building to a sight that never fails to take my breath away. An impressively large crescent moon, hanging low in the sky, a halo around its dark edge; and Venus twinkling away down and to the left of it (in the power lines). It was much larger than this photo shows, and it's one of those sights that knocks my socks off.

And space in general, really, is the one thing that always makes me realize how small and insignificant I really am. How small and insignificant we all are. I can't fathom the size of the universe. I can't fathom most things in space being what they are. Can you? We are so tiny. It's amazing, and awesome.

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Starstuff aside, taking the lead from Megan, I decided to explore some of her ideas on humility today.

Talk less today.
I try to be humble, but sometimes I have trouble with it (just being honest). I am very opinionated and often arrogant about those opinions. I've been told that I try to force them upon others (sorry mom). For that, I am truly sorry. I never mean to upset anyone with the things that I say (unless I do ... but that's another story for another day). I try to be a kind, compassionate person most of the time. I am trying to talk less today, both in person and online, but so far ... I've not really been doing very well at it. I am trying to be more purposeful in the communications I do have, and not speak just for the sake of speaking. I am the type of person who can't stand silence and often fills that silence with random, meaningless drivel, so I could stand to work on that!

Pick up trash you see.
I've actually been trying to do this all day. Maybe it's the wind blowing outside, but I haven't seen any trash sitting around; not even on my 2+ mile run during my lunch break! I will make sure to look for the rest of the day, though. I can't stand littering. I never litter. The last time I littered, I was very upset and Scott totally wigged out because he knows how out of character it is for me. Oops?

Ignore class rules.
We are all people, after all. We're all human. This is something I often tell myself when I think about how the differences we create between each other are just that -- things we've created to divide us. Ultimately there is nothing that divides us. People are people. Humanity is humanity. I love that the human brain is so big and has all these capabilities, yet we use so many of those brain cells to create ways to drive each other apart. I was talking with Scott the other day about chimpanzees and how they triumphed over other monkeys/apes because they were more violent, and that has given rise to humans, and we're still violent. It's amazing to look at that. We've been discriminating against each other since before we were human. And that doesn't make it right, you know? The next time you encounter someone very different from you ... try to understand them. Imagine that their life isn't that different from yours. We all have the same heart.

Be respectful of people in service.
I misread this at first, thinking it was talking about people in the military, or veterans. I think it goes either way -- I can't express how many times I've seen others, and even (confession time) myself being rude to a customer service representative, or something like that. I know their jobs are hard. I provide customer service at my job and I know how hard it is to be unflinchingly kind to those who you'd really rather just punch in the face (or is that just me?). My job, though, is easier than someone at a call center, or a retail position. I don't know how y'all do it. I don't have that type of temperament, and I really appreciate you guys. As for military personnel and veterans ... I don't know how you do it, either. I have several friends who are veterans, and I truly respect them on a level I can hardly comprehend. Of particular note is my pottery teacher, who is a veteran and an incredible ceramicist. I love that combination of things. It has taught me another important lesson about assuming you know how people are just from what their background is. You don't, and I so often make this mistake. I think it's a human trait ... I think ... right?


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I'm participating in Radvent this year via the ever-awesome Princess Lasertron, and you should too!