Reflections

     As I gazed out at the rows of sailboats, I contemplated how to let go of my pain, feeling someone had treated me badly.  I looked at the boat's reflection on the water, and thought how foolish it would be, for the boat to become angry at the water for reflecting an image of itself that it did not like.  If the boat did not like its image, then the boat would have to change.  Getting angry at the water would accomplish nothing.

     Likewise, the person's treatment of me that I struggled to forgive, was only a mirror; a reflection of how I saw myself!  And getting angry at him for reflecting my own patterns was a waste of time.  How wise to focus instead on changing my image of myself.

     As I watched the water flowing past the boat, it reminded me that, though the water was constantly changing, the boat's reflection would remain the same, until the boat changed!   And in my life, the treatment of the various people who flowed through my life would also remain the same, until I changed my perception of me. 

     I then realized that there was nothing to forgive this person for.  And I thanked him for showing me what I had to learn about myself...for being my teacher.