Let your disappointment lead you to compassion
I wrote last August about my kiddo not making a school team . She was consumed with disappointment . She’s never really experienced disappointment like that before & I encouraged her to use that experience to build empathy & compassion for others who experience let down.
Many of us feel “let down “ right now .
We are experiencing so many emotions during this pandemic. One of the emotions we are collectively feeling is disappointment.
Disappointment our kids’ school year got cut short or our Senior cannot experience prom.
Disappointment we cannot get to our offices.
Disappointment our jobs are in limbo or lost altogether.
Disappointment we can’t move around freely, shop & congregate as normal.
Disappointment our favorite sporting events are cancelled.
Disappointment in others’ behaviors during this time.
How can we allow our disappointment lead us towards compassion?
Someone told me they’ve felt sad & hopeless for a whole week and they have an inkling of what a person who suffers from depression regularly feels like.
Disappointment leads to compassion
Someone else said they’ve never worried about buying groceries before, but now they worry there will not be enough . They said they now have an inkling of what people who experience food insecurity regularly feel like .
Disappointment leads to compassion
Someone said they’ve never worried about their health before just doing typical things like going out in a public place & now they have an inkling of what an immuno-compromised person feels like regularly .
Disappointment leads to compassion.
So many lessons to be learned in life’s struggles and trials. May we use this experience to foster empathy & compassion for our fellow humans.
I pray we walk out of this experience more enlightened , showing more Love, Grace, Empathy & Compassion for one another.
The Buffet
I’m hearing a lot of clients ask “am I doing this ok? “
What they’re asking is, am I navigating this pandemic okay? Is my anxiety normal ? Is my fear rational ? Am I depressed because I feel sad or unmotivated ?
My answer? Yes . You are OKAY. No one, has ever written a manual before on how to manage your mental health during a global pandemic . There is no formula for this . There is no handbook.
He’s Still Fighting our Battles
A couple years after my husband and I married we decided we wanted to have a child . Three years later and two very early miscarriages we were still childless. Friends were having babies as were my former students. My lowest point came when a young student at the school I worked became pregnant. I shouted angrily at God , WHY??!! Why would you give a child to a child , but not to a 30 something who is more than able?
Jesus the Extremist
In case you haven’t noticed humanity is really mucking it up lately. The division among us is greater than I’ve ever lived through in my 4+ decades. I didn’t live during the civil rights era and so I can imagine it was far scarier division. But in my small spectrum of time on this planet, this feels like the most intense division I’ve ever lived through…