Lessons

“Life will teach you the lessons, it is up to you to learn them” ~ Author unknown


It was during our GOLO yard sale, yesterday, when I engaged in a brief conversation with a homeless man who happened to wander through the area. He mentioned that lately he has been trying to figure out what life is all about, and he felt sure that our time on earth is but a journey to discover how to give back.

He talked to Lolly and myself for a moment, then raised his eyes and asked: “But how do you give back?”

I truly had no immediate response for him, and suggested he should do his best to help others that are in worse predicaments than he is. Then, something else occurred to me…

Could it be possible that his life lesson is one of a different nature? What if instead than learning how to give back – which he didn’t seem to have a problem to do – his life lesson was about learning how to accept and be humble? After all, what better life situation could teach humility more than being homeless and at the mercy of others’ kindness? Is it possible to identify our life purpose by observing the facets of our reality and the patterns we implement in our daily existence?

We may not be able to understand some of the lessons that we are meant to learn, as it is not necessary for us to do so, but if we pay attention we can at least have a rough idea of the direction we should follow. For example, if we are the victim of a string of failed relationships, the culprit of that pattern could be appointed to a lack of self-love. Maybe, then, part of our life purpose could be that of learning how to embrace unconditional love toward ourselves and others.

As the wonderful teacher it is, life hands us assignments through our daily challenges. Whether we choose to do our homework or not is up to us.