Yesterday evening in my virtues workshop, I had a participant who was experiencing pain and as we practiced strategies to make use of the virtues, he needed to express what it was weighing heavily on his heart. He took over the entire short session and in the moment I let that happen. He needed the help of compassionate listening from the group to process his experience. I had an agenda but released my grip on following it to the letter. My energies were instead directed toward other participants, to encourage them to make space for him to share his feelings. It is so easy for judgements to surface that inhibit the flow of compassion from our hearts but when we get curious and seek to understand we enable others to connect with their own inner wisdom. Today as I evaluate the workshop, I see what a wonderful teachable moment that was for me and how I need my own compassion to accept this priceless gift.
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