This past week I recognised that I was feeling ’empathy’ in a situation where I would previously have struggled to do so.

Our youngest son and our daughter in law have always loved cats – in fact – they love cats of all descriptions – from the feral cat they have adopted at home – to their own house cats they have loved over the years – and even including the ‘big cats’ that they have been privileged to see on various holidays – and certainly agree with this caption – “What greater gift – than the love of a cat”

However -as all animal lovers and owners come to realise – owning a pet brings with it the understanding that there will be the inevitable sadness of loss when their pet dies – and that loss is felt deeply – and sadly that was their experience only a few days ago.

Now – never having been a pet lover – or owning a pet myself – I had struggled in the past to feel empathy – when someone’s pet has died – for – “empathy is” – as someone says here – “an understanding of the state of mind of another person”.

However – a couple of years ago – our grandson adopted a rescue dog – who quickly became part of the family – and as we all live together – I found myself becoming very fond of – and attached to him.

I recognised that – in the past – I had been lacking in empathy – because I couldn’t identify with the depth of feeling that the loss of a pet can bring.

Yet – as this quote puts it – “In order to empathise with someone’s experience – you must be willing to believe them – as they see it – and not how you imagine their experience to be”

So – even though I may now feel more able to identify – and understand – how they felt – the whole experience taught me a lesson.

For – “True empathy requires that you step outside your own emotions – to view things entirely from the perspective of the other person”.

And – that is what I had failed to do – to view things entirely from their perspective – stepping outside my own emotions – and seeking to simply hear how the experience affects them – and offer my empathy – regardless of how I might feel.

As always – I am grateful for the lessons ‘life’ continues to teach me – helping me to grow – to learn – to embrace others with true “empathy” – which is – “a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing”.

Blessings – Lois