Patience for Another

Eknath Easwaren wrote:

"In India, where families often make severe sacrifices to send a son or daughter to college, everyone is patient with a student who is out of cash. If you are waiting in line for tickets with two or three friends, for example, and your turn comes at the box-office window, everyone understands if you suddenly discover that your shoelace has come loose. You bend down to tie it, giving your friends a chance to buy your ticket, and everybody knows there is no question of generosity or stinginess; you simply do not have the capacity to pay.

"Similarly, when someone suddenly gets angry, you can think to yourself, “Well, his shoelace has just come untied.” He has just run out of inner resources. Whatever he was doing before, he has to bend down and look at his feet; he hasn’t got attention to give to anything else. To grow rich in love – to make yourself into a real tycoon of tenderness – have patience with others."

This reminds me of the prayer: Bless ______________, change me."
 
The Thought for the Day is today's entry from Eknath Easwaran's Words to Live By. (Copyright 1999 and 2005 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.)