Teachers I’ve Known and Respectfully Loved
Teachers come in all guises, from all walks of life, and at any time in life. The main characteristic I’ve noticed is they have all been flawed… In other words, human! Because of their humanity, they make the process and prospect of living in this chaotic world feel more manageable. If they can do it, so can I.
The people who have taught me the most in life are ordinary, and in their own way extraordinary. My parents taught me how to be my own person, how to be considerate, how to look at different sides of the issues. They taught me about perseverance, being loving, having a sense of humour. Mom and Dad would tackle all kinds of projects on their own, and work on them until they figured them out. Intelligence and intelligent conversation was a given. My father is gone, now, but he taught me about being surprising. I can’t begin to count the number of times I found out something new about him - what he did, how he thought. In his quiet way, he taught brilliantly. My mother continues to inspire me with her strength of character and insight into the workings of the world. Parents can be the teachers who lift you up or throw you down in life. I got lucky.
With many moves come many different schools - elementary, junior, and senior high. There are teachers who I may have disagreed with or feared in school, yet they are the ones I remember with the most respect now. Some of them were fun. Some were funny. Some taught us things they had no idea they were teaching. I remember Mr. B. in high school. He shared a phenomenal lesson one time on the BHA and BHT in a certain brand of potato chips and how that was terrible for us. When I found him in the foyer eating those chips, he literally threw the bag and complained that he should never have given us that lesson. I’m not sure how many people had commented before I did, but he didn’t get to enjoy many of those chips. See, Mr. B - we were listening.
There have been many amazing professional teachers in my life over the years. Learning aromatherapy, massage therapy, yoga, ayurveda, astrology, herbalism, and so many other topics which expand the mind, I’ve been given the gift of brilliant instruction. There are some stand-out teachers, but all gave from their hearts with great charisma. And one key that I’ve learned is the notion that teaching is not filling the student to the brim, but it’s allowing the student to sip from the cup of knowledge at their own pace and from their own capacity. There is SOOO much to share and it’s currently impossible to download knowledge and experience from their brains to mine. Every one of my teachers shone from their own individuality and encouraged me to do the same. I didn’t always follow these people to the letter. I don’t know that they expected me to. I received their gift and blended theirs with my own gifts. Some of it works and some doesn’t. I guess that’s how we learn. We can copy, or we can integrate and grow.
I’ve learned a lot from two husbands. No relationship is wrong if you understand the why of it. My first marriage was not so successful when it came to lasting the lifetime I vowed to. And even though the marriage dissolved, a lot of good came out of it. There are so many parts of my being which I was out of touch with, and that husband helped me to know myself better. Now, I’m learning new lessons with my current husband. He is very surprising and a hard task-master who insists I be accountable for my thoughts and for the words I speak. I feel like I become a better person when I have to look at myself more deeply and take responsibility for my actions, reactions, and character. Good lessons! Hard lessons - but good.
Children… aahhh the children. A friend likes to say that when we send our child into the world, we send a piece of our heart with them. Having children is not for the faint of heart. They test you in every way imaginable. How can you make them pick up a bug or worm when your every instinct is to throw that creature as far as you can? You grit your teeth and hold the bug! When they tell you their most devastating secrets, all you want to do is hold them, take their burdens away, and make everything better - but you don’t. You know they have to live their lives as they need to. The joy is watching them succeed. The heartache is watching them fail. The lesson is remembering that it is not your place to live their life. This could be considered Ph.D. level learning. Children are amazing teachers.
Friends, colleagues, mortal enemies… all hold a sacred place in the hallowed halls of great teaching. Whether that person is lifting you up or putting you down, these interactions all teach us about ourselves, our relating skills, our generosity (or lack thereof), our ability to connect or disconnect. The day to day relationships can fill us or deplete us. Mostly, how we meet those exchanges shows the way that life bends and shapes us. We have choices. Some go better than others. We learn through these bonds how to simply live our lives.
So, if you have teachers in your life, imagine how you would be different if they’d never been there. In your thoughts, prayers, and even in person if you can - give thanks. Their gift to you is helping you to be who you are. Maybe you like yourself. Maybe you don’t. That’s on you. But the experience you are given to learn from is what is really needed for you to grow. What will you choose?
January 13, 2021