How can we pray for the world?

'Softness' Wins

In the building with 12 flats where I live, friendly camaraderie is the norm, except for the young man who lives directly above me with his girlfriend. As a professional golf player he seems to be home a good deal of the time. I know when he's home by the thoughtless banging of doors (at all hours) and the dropping of almost every heavy object found in his flat.

This seeming lack of concern about anything (except his and his girlfriend's own interests) affects other tenants too. Each flat has one parking space in the very small car park behind our building. This couple have two cars and just park the second one where there's an empty space. Several times the owners of these spaces have returned to find one of their cars occupying the space. They have to go to his flat to get him to move it.

A few nights ago he again had to vacate someone else’s spot and went into my car space. I had gone to bed so he might have thought it would go unnoticed. I was furious and, of course, couldn't sleep as I was planning just what I would do in the morning. Self-righteousness is as thick and heavy as molasses! After some minutes I couldn't stand these thoughts any longer no matter how self-justified they still felt.

'Keep it simple' I thought and literally forced myself to think, 'I feel soft towards him and he feels soft towards me'. It took at least a half dozen times repeating this before a tiny bit of softness crept in. I knew it had won as I soon felt totally soft towards him and fell asleep. All animosity had dropped away.

The next morning his car was gone....and only soft feelings for him remain now.

What freedom!


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