Every Being that enters our lives is a teacher to us of who WE are.
An ant we crush or ignore.
The same, a spider.
A rabbit we kill or help grow a patch of sweet grass for.
A cruel person we forgive and offer compassion to.
A sick person we reach for to help,
Instead of shying away loathing them
And fearing some contagion.
Every encounter with another person is a classroom of learning
About who WE are
What WE are about
Are we the greedy one
The angry frightened one
The cruel one
Or are we the generous
The brave and loving one
Compassionate
Empathetic
A giver
Or a Taker?
What lesson of our Selves is reflected in our words
Our actions
To this person
That Being
That organism
Or even that memory of another?
We are the students that grow from the smile we see in the face of another
Appreciating how WE WERE TO THEM
We learn
If wise,
We change
To become the reason for a sincere smile
Or the trusting momentary stay of some smaller life form near us
A bird that pauses to be in the tree near us
A stray animal that moves toward us and not away.