On a few occasions, someone has said something to me that has really stuck in my throat. My immediate reaction was one of profound irritation. But looking back on those comments now, I see that they were spot on.
Many years ago, during a rather sad exchange, a soon-to-be ex-girlfriend told me that I needed to get over myself.
How dare you!
During a 10 day Vipassana retreat in Nepal, the elderly Indian guru leading the retreat responded to my comment about the intense physical pain of sitting cross-legged for hours by saying: 'It doesn't matter.'
Maybe not to you!
I once attended a couple of shamanic San Pedro cactus ceremonies at the Temple of the Moon outside Cuzco, in Peru. The officiating shaman was supposed to be a South African lady. However, in her absence, the sessions were guided by her son; he was a tall, intense man with a pony tail and a black leather biker's jacket. Just as the hallucinogenic sludge was beginning to take effect, he sat down next to me and told me that he saw a lot of ego.
Pots and kettles!
But now Watashi-wa realises that all three were right. When things stick in our throats, it may be because deep down we know they are true.
watashi-wa in the snow 