For the first time this year, I am dedicating the days of 2012 to one word: compassion. In the past I’ve written resolutions. By mid-February these goals are lost in the shuffle of life. Keeping a single word in mind will enforce a clarity that is new territory for me, but a plan that I am wholly enthusiastic about.
My need to embrace compassion came from an unexpected source. Last year I read The Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This story chronicles the friendship of two men, one a rich art collector and the other, a homeless man. What its taught me is something I can never forget. Everyone has a story. The homeless man. The prostitute. The thief. The banker. The doctor. Mothers. Fathers. Children. Sisters. Brothers. Every single one of us. And I think we all forget about the stories that people carry. I know I do. Many, myself included, may encounter the homeless man on the street and quickly assume, “He must have a drug or alcohol habit or he is mentally ill. Or he is lazy. He looks healthy enough, why isn’t he working?” In some cases, this may be the truth, but how often do we ask, “How did he get there?” Where is our compassion? I think we are conditioned to believe the first thought that comes to mind. And that maybe a product of our upbringing, society, and how we carry ourselves in our own lives.
Compassion is an inclusive concept. It also means embracing compassion as a way of being gentle with yourself. I know that many times I’ve felt I am not enough. As a woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. What compassion does is allows you to feel a freedom that liberates you to not judge yourself or linger a little with your flaws. I think we don’t get lessons about compassion in our everyday lives. It happens in the context of some tragic event, like a shooting or weather catastrophe. I want to integrate compassion as a part of my day to day life. For me, I hope it becomes a better way to walk toward love.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. – Dalai Lama
_____________________________________________________________
What is your word of the year?
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
Rudri, you always inspire me. You have such a beautiful heart.
As loony as it sounds, this year’s word is: Breathe.
Are you going to write more posts about how you’re incorporating compassion into your life this year? That would probably be pretty interesting.
Compassion is always a good path.
xo
That is inspiring Rudri. We all need that reminder. It is so easy to forget until we are humbled by a tragic event or we fall sick and are at the merci of someone else. I will think about that daily esp when I go to work, which is why I got into healthcare in the first place!
I am loving that book, Rudri! Life changing for sure. Thank you for the gift.:) I want to be that kind of person too…
I’m happy to go with compassion. And to the extent it means feeling WITH others, then if we practice loving kindness at the same time as compassion, perhaps we can continue to inspire each other to awaken to our collective nature, perhaps a tonic for the alienation and angst of the lonely and insecure ego-self and the nurturing of the loving, maybe even eternal, soul-Self? Namaste either way
What a wonderful word to pick for the year. Welcome to 2012; hope it’s wonderful for you.
I am going to take your lead. I’m also going to read that book. You are a beautiful person!
Such an important word, and so powerful.
Inclusive indeed. It ought to be exactly that.
I’ve put this book on my list!
I think compassion is a great word and becoems even more powerful coupled with action.