Eubie Blake
“Be grateful for luck. Pay the thunder no mind – listen to the birds. And don’t hate nobody.” Eubie Blake
There are so many aspects of our lives over which we have no control. We are often told things like “Diligence brings good luck,” (Benjamin Franklin) or
“A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck.” (James A Garfield), but where do “diligence” and “pluck” come from? If you have “diligence” and “pluck” you can already count yourself as lucky. We would like to take responsibility for all of the good qualities of character and personality that we possess and judge others for not having them, but for the most part these characteristics are not chosen. If you are of a religious bent you can say they came from God, if not, from good luck, but either way it is wise to accept these gifts with gratitude and humility. If you have developed positive character qualities from some source of nature or nurture or through inspiration or through perseverance and hard work, then it behooves you to be grateful for those gifts. If we maintain a humble awareness of the good fortune that provides us with our gifts, it will help us to be compassionate and patient with our fellows. Relationship Artists do not waste time with pride for things achieved or with guilt and shame for the disappointments, failures and deficiencies in their lives. They set about the task of growing and transcending these “accidents of birth,” “pay[ing] the thunder no mind, listen[ing] to the birds,” not “hat[ing] nobody,” and becoming the best people and partners that they can be.
