I had been cooped up in the house suffering from cabin fever after 4 weeks of recovering from the by-pass. My dear friend Bill Rutledge offered to drive me to Wal-mart to pick up my prescriptions. All day long I looked forward to his arrival and the drive out into the cool air and his company. By the time we got to the store all I could think about is this must be how many elderly folks feel when their son, daughter, niece, nephew or friend comes to take them to church or shopping--anywhere. This small thing was a huge event for me and perhaps it is for them as well.
I'm pretty sure Bill didn't recognize what an important service he was performing and I'm sure that you probably didn't either if you've ever done something so seemingly simple.
The great poet/country singer John Prine has a song about "old people" with a powerful line that goes something like, "...don't stop and stare. Say hello in there..."
Question? Have you said "hello in there?" lately?
Showing posts with label Empathy at Last. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Empathy at Last. Show all posts
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Empathy
I define "empathy" this way: "I understand some of what you are going through because I've been through similar experiences myself."
On the 4th week after my quadruple by-pass, that I still can't believe I had, I very tentatively ventured out to get a haircut. The barber is about a ten minute drive from my our house. It was the first time I had driven in a little over a month. I was terrified. What if I had a wreck and the air bag popped out and hit my chest? What if I had a flat tire? What if some young thing ran me off the road? Then it hit me, this must be what the really elderly must feel every time they drive to Wal-Mart or to their pharmacy or wherever they have to go at the same speed I was traveling at--super slow.
That one short drive changed me. It opened my fragile heart just a little more. I went from being the person who was always impatient with the old person slowing down the rest of humanity (that is putting it mildly)and became a man who will never blow his horn (or at least will try really hard not to) at one of seniors again. I can empathize finally.
What has increased your ability to be more empathetic than you used to be?
On the 4th week after my quadruple by-pass, that I still can't believe I had, I very tentatively ventured out to get a haircut. The barber is about a ten minute drive from my our house. It was the first time I had driven in a little over a month. I was terrified. What if I had a wreck and the air bag popped out and hit my chest? What if I had a flat tire? What if some young thing ran me off the road? Then it hit me, this must be what the really elderly must feel every time they drive to Wal-Mart or to their pharmacy or wherever they have to go at the same speed I was traveling at--super slow.
That one short drive changed me. It opened my fragile heart just a little more. I went from being the person who was always impatient with the old person slowing down the rest of humanity (that is putting it mildly)and became a man who will never blow his horn (or at least will try really hard not to) at one of seniors again. I can empathize finally.
What has increased your ability to be more empathetic than you used to be?
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