The moment that shaped who I am....
I am a person who feels with every part of my being. I feel other peoples sadness, happiness, guilt and anger as if they were my own. When I have my own feelings sometimes it is so overwhelming that I don't know what to do so I just shut down, a quality that drives my husband absolutely crazy.
I remember the first moment that I was overwhelmed by emotion, I didn't know what it was back then, but now I know I was feeling compassion and empathy.
My family used to live in Clearwater BC. Clearwater is a small rural town that has an approximate population of 2000 people. There wasn't a lot of places that you could shop so we would make trips to Kamloops to get some of the things that we needed. While in Kamloops we would often stop and get something to eat before heading back up the valley. On this trip we stopped at McDonalds. It was a beautiful sunny day so we sat outside to eat. There was a table in front of us that had not been cleared by the previous occupants. It had trays, wrappers, and cups on it. I remember looking over and seeing a man rummaging through the wrappers as if he was hunting for treasure. I was young, and confused. I had never seen another person look through garbage. I felt a pain in my chest and I asked my mom what he was doing. My mom explained that he was looking for something to eat. I didn't understand why he didn't just go inside and buy something to eat; this is when I learned that there are people in the world who have less than I do. No home, no money, no food, no family. I cried, and my Mom hugged me. The emotion was raw and piercing. Still, to this day, when I think about that moment I am overwhelmed by sadness.
I was young when this happened, I was under the age of 6 but it has shaped who I have become today. I feel grateful that I learned about compassion and empathy at such a young age. I think it has helped me to connect with and understand people which is extremely helpful in the work that I do.
My hope is that one day when I have kids of my own they will experience moments that will shape their lives, and that they will do good things because of it.
xo
I remember the first moment that I was overwhelmed by emotion, I didn't know what it was back then, but now I know I was feeling compassion and empathy.
My family used to live in Clearwater BC. Clearwater is a small rural town that has an approximate population of 2000 people. There wasn't a lot of places that you could shop so we would make trips to Kamloops to get some of the things that we needed. While in Kamloops we would often stop and get something to eat before heading back up the valley. On this trip we stopped at McDonalds. It was a beautiful sunny day so we sat outside to eat. There was a table in front of us that had not been cleared by the previous occupants. It had trays, wrappers, and cups on it. I remember looking over and seeing a man rummaging through the wrappers as if he was hunting for treasure. I was young, and confused. I had never seen another person look through garbage. I felt a pain in my chest and I asked my mom what he was doing. My mom explained that he was looking for something to eat. I didn't understand why he didn't just go inside and buy something to eat; this is when I learned that there are people in the world who have less than I do. No home, no money, no food, no family. I cried, and my Mom hugged me. The emotion was raw and piercing. Still, to this day, when I think about that moment I am overwhelmed by sadness.
I was young when this happened, I was under the age of 6 but it has shaped who I have become today. I feel grateful that I learned about compassion and empathy at such a young age. I think it has helped me to connect with and understand people which is extremely helpful in the work that I do.
My hope is that one day when I have kids of my own they will experience moments that will shape their lives, and that they will do good things because of it.
xo
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