Below is a beautiful letter I received from an amazing friend I met in Bali.
I had wanted to share this with the world, but hadn’t quite found the right time…until now
5 Lessons from Jezza
by Maria
The moment I met you I… didn’t necessarily judge you but you started chatting to me when my mind was
somewhere else. I had just returned from the Gilis, a weird semi-romantic, semi-mushy getaway with this
guy I barely knew. I was returning to Ubud, back to teaching my morning yoga classes, I had to sort myself
out, and you know how I can get tangled (with)in my head sometimes.
And then things started opening up. Or maybe, I opened up – you were pretty open and approachable
from the start, I was the one that had to get our of my pretty (and petty) shell. And here we are, a month
later. We’ve spent a lot of time together, we’ve chatted, laughed, analyzed people (yup, euphemism for
talking shit).
You’ve made me laugh, you’ve made me wonder, you’ve made me cry (indirectly!) and you’ve taught me a
lot. And now, I want to she with you the lessons I learned from you, and if you want to share it with the rest
of the world, you have my full permission.
Lesson 1: What we have, is enough
The day you left I told you that I’ve never seen you act or talk led by a mindset of scarcity. I know that when
we were spending time together, you weren’t always as financially flexible as you maybe wanted to be.
And you took it so humbly.
I’ve also never heard you say “I don’t have time for that”, you always had time, you always paid attention.
You were, you ARE generous and genuine with your resources, time, energy. You project abundance, you
ARE abundance and generosity.
And I want to thank you for that.
Lesson 2: Don’t judge the book by its cover
You do talk to everyone. And I mean everyone. Even if you don’t speak their language. Especially if you
don’t speak their language, actually! Then you’d learn a phrase and repeat that.
You’re curious about people. In yoga we speak about keeping “the beginner’s mind”; regardless of how
advanced our practice is, to keep exploring and humbly trying to learn and absorb new sensations even in
the simplest of asanas. And you do that with people. You’re open to teachings, regardless of where they’d
come from.
And I want to thank you for that.
Lesson 3: Act on it!
You are one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Your knowledge has impressed me so much.
You kept impressing me throughout the month we had spent together. And I learned that all you know
comes from questions you had … to yourself! From things you noticed on your own body, discomforts
YOU had to go through. And you acted on it; you started digging deeper, exploring, asking questions.
You didn’t just sit with your arms crossed and waited for God’s mercy on you.
You method may involve a lot of trial-error, but you’re never just sitting there, complaining about pain,
discomfort, confusion. You act on it.
And I want to thank you for that.
Lesson 4: Sometimes is not about the advice give but the questions you ask
This refers to a very personal conversation that we had, that I will not elaborate on. What I learned from
you was that sometimes, what takes real guts is to dare to ask a question that we already know the answer
to. But by asking this question, by putting it out there, we somehow make it real. We somehow push
ourselves to confront the problem. Confront ourselves.
By teaching me this, you also taught me to help people help themselves. Because I can “pass on” this…
technique.
And I want to thank you for that.
Lesson 5: Eat your pride
Just do it. Right here, right now. Eat your pride, digest it, let it leave your body on the other side and never
look back.
Allow people to help you. Allow someone to give you a gentle massage if your body needs it. Allow
people to love you for your imperfections and for how vulnerable you can be with them. Allow people to
give you constructive criticism because they want you to grow and improve.
You taught me to eat my pride. And I want to thank you for that.