Inspirational Living: Living Compassionately
by Rev. ReBecca Ames Sala, Regular Contributing Author to Elegant Plus Magazine

American writer and Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote that “compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.” Living compassionately requires courage, strength and an awareness of this interdependence. It means opening your heart to those around you that you know and care about: family, friends and co-workers. It also means opening your heart to those you don’t know, people who help you find something in a store, strangers whose stories touch you in some small, but meaningful way. It can mean reaching across an ocean to extend sympathy to those who experience great tragedy or loss like the tsunamis in Asia, recent terrorist attacks in London, or those suffering loss and damages from Hurricane Dennis. While you may not know anyone personally who was involved, you can still feel compassion for what they are going through.  

As a chaplain, I see people in pain who are suffering: physically, emotionally and psychologically and I walk with them on their journey. They guide me as we navigate through some very difficult and painful terrain. That connection is the heart of true compassion. I am humbled as I watch patients reach out to others who are also suffering. It is in their recognition of shared suffering where the seeds of comfort and healing take root and grow.  

In order to reach out with an open heart, you must first look deep inside and be compassionate to yourself. That may be hard to do for some people. Society, family, that pesky inner critic can stop you from being compassionate to yourself. Comments like “what about me?” “I don’t have time” “you should be seeing to my needs” or “how I think or feel doesn’t matter” can fill your head and leave little room for yourself. If you are a helper, a person who has a caring heart, it is so difficult to direct that focus inward and give yourself an inner hug and a nice mental massage. Living compassionately means to open your heart to yourself as well, to love and care about yourself.  

How do you go about doing this? It isn’t easy to change patterns in your life so it is important to be intentional. Take time out for yourself everyday, a “compassion break” if you will. Look at every aspect of your life with a loving eye, accepting who and what you are. Write it all down and place it somewhere visible. Find out what feeds your soul and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning. This might change each day so keep a journal by your bed and write it down. These things can be simple, attainable everyday events or goals that you aspire to achieve. You may be surprised what you find out about yourself. Remember to live a balanced life with enough time for relationships, sleep, exercise and much needed laughter.  
Until next time…. 

Namaste (I honor the light within you) 

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