“Whatever was said to the rose 
to make it open up 
was said to me in my chest.”

-Rumi

Throughout our lives we are frequently told to have a plan B.  Although we set aside our money in savings accounts and IRAs for rainy days, we never imagined that the rainy day would manifest as a global pandemic, altering our basic ways of life. Here in the Bay Area, I have witnessed many people who thought they had nothing to worry about losing their jobs, clients, and sense of security overnight. 

When our financial back-up plans and old ways of coping no longer serve us the way they used to, it is easy to put up emotional walls to survive. 

Like previous generations that have experienced economic recessions, our society is at risk of developing a scarcity mindset around our emotions. The myth we could potentially believe is that compassion and empathy are limited and can run out like perishable goods.

When we are emotionally distressed, one tendency is to close our hearts to each other. Like an old elevator, we hesitate to open our doors due to our fear that the weight of other people’s problems will be too heavy, plummeting us to the ground. 

Yet history has revealed time and time again that our hearts can carry more than we think. If we open our doors we will find that we have the capacity to love others well. We will discover that openness to compassion and empathy does not harm us, but in fact fosters growth and healing through the vulnerability of being known and seen. 

So this week, check on your neighbors, tip extra when you Door Dash and know that while your compassion is helping others, it is healing you as well.