My greatest UNDERSTANDING challenges occurred this week on the way to Philadelphia for a work trip.
Impatience produced eye rolls, heavy sighs and overall displays of irritability.
It later struck me (hindsight is 20/20) that my inability to have EMPATHY for the other guy and gal was related to just how much the world (that day) revolved around ME.
It was the tri-fecta of doom when traveling: A middle seat in the back, a crying/screaming child behind me, and a seatmate who was at the height of a horrible, coughing, sneezy cold.
Yes, I asked for a seat change. No, there were no other available seats on the flight. Yes, I caught the cold.
It’s easy to be understanding when nothing goes wrong, isn’t it?
Fortunately, I arrived to my sister’s haven of a home and was love-bombed, which I can always count on from her. Then I traveled to PA for my meetings and stayed at my home away from home with my friends Renee and Steve. Steve likes to say, “If I can choose who I can come back as in the next life, it would be one of Renee’s friends.”
True that. I’d want a repeat. (This is the woman who has soft music playing and fuzzy slippers waiting for me when I arrive. She makes me protein smoothies for breakfast and sends me to bed at 8 PM if I need it. Plus, we like the same TV shows and can watch The Voice together.)
My prayer for both households is that they do not catch the bug I may have brought with me from my Sarasota seatmate.
Even though I was starting to feel yucky, all the love I received made me a much more UNDERSTANDING and kind person on the trip back home.
Which leads to my point: If your understanding tank is running on empty, maybe you need to fill it up with some love.
Don’t feel bad about being testy. See it as a signal that you need some self-care. Then take care of yourself.
This commercial demonstrates this concept better than any words could:
You might just be one snack away from a more understanding day.
Parting thoughts on that here (and the new WOW!)
Yep – we’ve definitely got a progression going on here.
Be good to yourself this week – and then you’ll have something to give away.
xoxoxoxo
Brenda