Compassion
Springtime.
The weather is warming up, we're spending more time outdoors, and many of us feel a sense of renewal. Along with all these beautiful aspects of spring, we must add activities such as outside cleanup, gardening, and planting flowers. As I was out working the other day, I started to think back to a springtime long ago when, as a four-year-old little girl in Nebraska, I was proudly helping my grandma with all her outdoor springtime tasks.
I enjoyed every moment of being with my grandma, and working outside with her was especially fun. We picked weeds, raked the flower beds, planted her annuals, and added to her compost after she thatched the lawn. I always felt loved when I was with my grandma, and during this particular spring, I learned about love in the form of compassion.
I had the important job of watering her newly planted flower beds, one of which was right next to her basement window well. I don't recall all the details, but I remember the result: I left the water hose on and placed it in her window well.
Hours passed before my grandma discovered the water pouring into her finished, carpeted basement, with inches of water covering the floor. My grandparents' basement was a special place. It was where my grandma did all of her sewing, where my grandpa watched TV, and where the family gathered.
I remember my grandparents and parents discussing the situation, how it had happened, and their distress about having someone come over and pump out the water. Yet none of them ever scolded or shamed me for what I had done. They knew I didn't MEAN to flood the basement, and they understood I was only four years old, an age when we don't always know the ramifications of our actions.
What they DID DO was teach me my first important lesson in COMPASSION.
Compassion considers the whole picture:
how old is the person?
did they mean to do what they did?
do they already feel horrible for causing the problem?
do they have the skills to handle the situation differently?
are they tired, stressed, grieving, or sick?
My desire is that we all bring a little more compassion into our lives, with ourselves and others. When we make mistakes or others disappoint us, let’s consider the whole picture and respond with love in the form of compassion.
Much love to you,
Annette