Not the Same

 

I’m learning that

Being nice is not the same as being kind.

Feeling happy is not the same as feeling joy.

Saying “Thank-you” is not the same as being grateful.

Being quiet is not the same as feeling reverence.

 

I’ve come to realize that

Not everyone who wins has truly triumphed any more than not all who have lost have been defeated.

I understand more clearly that

Motion does not imply direction and speed does not imply progress.

Being smart is not the same as being sensible and learning does not mean awakening.

I’ve discovered that

Living is not the same as being alive.

Being fed is not the same as being nourished.

Hugs are different from embraces,

And there is a reason “hood” is added to mother, father, sister, brother, parent and child. Those are not the same without it.

I’ve been taught that

Looking is not the same as observing and seeing is not the same as envisioning.

Tolerance is not always temperance…and it is not the reverse either.

Contentment is not complacency.

Breathing is not inhaling.

and

Letting go is not the same as giving up.