Compassion

I work every day with people who feel terrible. Either they're sick or they're elderly or they are mentally ill. What I find most common about the majority of them is that they complain. They have pain, they didn't get enough sleep, they didn't like the service they received, their family bothered them etc. etc. I try to keep this in perspective because a lot of them have good reason to complain. And when you're confined to your house your world gets so small that when you see celebrities on TV or hear gossip in the hallway or have someone treat you badly, that becomes your entire world. It's all you think about, talk about.


When I get emotionally rocky I tend toward anger.  I have the great fortune and privilege to be able to be out and about, get a change of scenery to get a change of heart. A little fresh air and a change of pace so I don't typically stay angry for long. It is a part of my personality to be laid-back. I don't typically hold grudges. But when I'm having an emotional day I get pissed off about things. I actually flipped off somebody in traffic. That's very unusual for me. It made me think about the things that people expend their energy doing. Like giving someone the finger. You have to actually decide to act upon that strong anger. Not only are you wasting your time being upset about something that you can't change, (and that isn't hurting you) you're also going to add to it by physically expressing that anger to another person who probably doesn't deserve it. Which, in turn, will cause them to feel something and take it out on someone. I wonder what it would be like if everybody took the time to express the joyful end of our feelings. To feel something positive so strongly that you have to act.


I'm privy to so many hostile energy exchanges. Those between parents and children is the worst. One of my favorite people has dementia. Her and her daughter do not get along. I'll give her daughter credit for giving it a try but mom is obviously different and it's obviously taking a toll. It's interesting to get that perspective on that kind of relationship. I can laugh the things she says off but it's because she's not my mother. On the days that I'm not overwhelmed with my own emotional baggage things like that give me the perspective to be able to let go of what would otherwise bother me in other situations.


So, what would the world look like if everyone acted on the positive emotions they felt every day? Practice this week's class with a sense of joy and wonder at the miracle that is you. Practice with compassion and understanding for your limitations; for all that annoys you about yourself. Give yourself that time and positive energy. Then you can go out and light up someones life.