I was at a dinner party last night. An older woman was telling me that when she was younger she worked in an old age home. She said the day she interviewed for the job she walked in and saw elderly people suffering and even heard some of them screaming. She was overwhelmed. It frightened her! She went home feeling like she just couldn't do it. When the phone rang and she got the job, she was really torn but took the job. She wound up staying for 11 years. What happened? She began to really get to know these aging people and her heart filled with compassion and care.
This is a really good example of the quote "Every life has a story." As a therapist I witness this every day. When we experience some one as being crabby chances are that given their same circumstances we would be crabby too! We know we have good reasons for behaving the way we do. The next time some one is rude and it makes us feel bad, let's stop for a second and wonder if what is behind that behavior is something that might make us act the same way. Why should we? Because it helps us not take things so personally and can even help us count our blessings.
