If we are listening and watching, we can receive an positive boost from everyday occurrences. A coincidence, a chance meeting, something that we happen to see or hear; these incidents can all be learning and energizing experiences.

After a particularly busy few weeks, I am sitting in an internet café, about to have a green tea and catch up on some work. I happened to look up, and noticed that I am sitting directly behind a guy with a T-shirt that says, "The precepts of the law are these; to live honestly, to injure no one, and to give everyone his due" - Justinian Code, A.D. 533.

Especially since I am a lawyer, I like that quote. It would be nice if more people could remember that concept, and put it into practice more often. But when the practicalities of life set it, practicing this can be difficult. Even the Justinian Code itself did not live up to this lofty ideal because it contained numerous discriminatory provisions against non-Christians, particularly Jews and "heretics". These religious aspects of the Code created much suffering for hundreds of years among those who were not mainstream Christians.

I think about tolerance a lot. Seeing that shirt on the man wearing it told me something about him. If he is willing to wear that quote, he is probably trying to live according to what he believes is fair and just. Just by what he chose to wear this morning, he is affecting what those around him perceive him to be.

While musing on all of this, I gazed a few feet to the right, and saw an item on a shelf with this quote on the front, "Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself". This is a wonderful sentiment. Seeking creativity can be very energizing, and can help us become our "best selves". "Creating myself" is something that I have thought about since I was a teenager. I've had a lot of experiences since then, and I try to turn them into positive ones, no matter how they feel at the time.


I remember several years ago reading an article about Madonna. The writer said that she has been so successful because "she keeps recreating herself". You don't have to be Madonna or Cher to recreate yourself and change your thoughts, your life or your style. That is one of the beautiful things about being a human being, the ability to change.