A Circle of Compassion and Consideration

--by beastly, posted Jan 19, 2010

I have recently got into a habit of catching up with my parents while I'm walking to the grocery store to buy my weekly food stuffs. It takes about 10-12 minutes and I figure its a good time to talk.

The only thing is, I always end the conversation as I arrive at the grocery store. It always seemed like my parents wanted to keep talking, but I wouldn't have it. I'd just say "alright, I'm here, we'll talk later". A couple of weeks ago when I said this, my dad was a bit annoyed and said "why don't you just wait a bit?", and so I waited outside and continued the conversation. When it was over, I realized (quite late) that I was operating in too much of a me-centric world to see that my parents wanted to connect more.

Since then, I'll still call on my way to the grocery store, but now once i'm there, I'll just stand outside and be there for them until the conversation reaches a natural end. Yesterday, I called my parents on the way to the store once again. I had reached my destination and was just standing outside for no more than 30 seconds when my dad said "hey, aren't you at the store yet? you should go, have a good time!"

I tried my best to let go of what I wanted (to get to the store 'on time'), and lo and behold, the compassion is returned immediately :)

1735 Reads

Posted by beastly
Jan 19, 2010
Comments (10)

Readers Comments

RonWrite wrote: An older person, especially shut-ins, love to receive calls. Only takes a minute and it brings smiles all day long!

cabbage wrote: You rock! Way to be "present"

JuneBug wrote: That's just too cute of a story !! :)

unknown wrote: Give the person ahead his/her due ... unconditionally and openly and it returns ! tada :) I liked your anecdote beastly :) sometimes, I like to call and speak like a kid or play a song over the fone just to hear my chuckle ... good to hear this ... lovingly, deepula :)

cabbage wrote: Thanks for sharing the lesson...all too often we are in a hurry. Good to slow down.

sethi wrote: Thanks for sharing your experiences .

Aurelia wrote: A great idea and nice of you to think of putting your parents feelings first too :)
~Aurelia

MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: It all makes a difference. Thanks for caring about their thoughts!

StarBrite wrote: I first thought what a beautiful idea to call your parents on your way to the store! A way of sharing a part of your actual day with them. Cool. But your beauty went further by feeling their feelings and enjoying the connection. Many good smiles and much love. ~StarBrite

nowtimecoach wrote: This story rung a chord in my because I've found myself doing the same thing to my dad or to friends. And I've found that I feel much better like you did - to just be present with the call and let it end naturally.
Thanks for posting.

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