Five of Staffs

I embarrassed myself today. I had wandered away from the main path after noticing something farther up the hillside. I couldn't tell exactly what it was from where I stood, so I climbed closer to get a better look. I had barely reached it when I heard someone calling sharply behind me.

A man was hurrying toward me, clearly upset. I understood enough from his expression and gestures to know that I was somewhere I should not be. I tried to explain that I hadn't known, which seemed important to me in that moment and completely irrelevant to him.

For several uncomfortable minutes, we talked past one another. I became defensive. He became more frustrated. Another person joined us and eventually helped me understand that I had crossed into a place I should have approached differently.

Once I understood, my anger disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. I apologized and returned to the path, still embarrassed and honestly a little irritated by the whole encounter.

Later, though, I kept thinking about how differently each of us had experienced the same moment. I thought I was exploring. He saw someone behaving disrespectfully. Neither of us had entered the encounter understanding what the other person saw.

I know something now that I didn't know this morning. Tomorrow, I will walk differently.