Wednesday, November 02, 2022

Compassion Challenge: 2022: Day 1

We did this as a congregation in 2021 and I'm doing it myself this year. My life feels different now than it did 365 days ago, and I hope this will keep me grounded and help me live my faith.

Inspiring Compassion: The 30 Day Compassion Challenge. 30 days to explore the topic of compassion: Mindfulness, Compassion for Friends & Family, Self-Compassion, Compassion for All, Compassion for Our Planet

Today I focused on Mindfulness. I went to the hospital for a followup with the urologist who performed my lithotripsy. I'd never been in his office before. He took my case when I was in the ER, and then he performed the procedure in the main hospital. 

Finding his office took forever. I literally walked through three different buildings in the hospital campus, and then, when I finally found the right third floor, the suites were not numbered sequentially.

Now I am notoriously navigation challenged, but the problem here was not me. I spent the last leg of my journey with a man who was having the same trouble en route to the same office. The signage at the hospital is woefully inadequate. Those repeated reminder texts only said the suite number, not which building.

Oh, I was frustrated. But I was mindful. No one that I spoke to en route to the doctor's office was at fault. The working women stationed at the information desks didn't post the signage or devise the office numbering system. So I consciously chose not to take my frustration out on them.

By the way, being mindful gave me the emotional space to be grateful that the urologist thinks I'm doing just fine.