Email a copy of 'What a Wonderful World, and Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen' to a friend
Loading ...
E-Mail 'What a Wonderful World, and Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen' To A Friend
Loading ... Loading ...5 thoughts on “What a Wonderful World, and Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”
Comments are closed.
Sympathy and illness recognition is such a difficult topic. It’s complex as we know. To be honest though I am a kindred sufferer, I even catch myself silently judging others at times and am shocked that I do so. The operative here is “silently” though. Hasn’t anyone ever pulled into a handicapped spot that maybe you would have like to use, they get out of their car and “look” healthy to you? I admit that I’ve silently wondered about them. I’m ashamed that the thought crosses my mind but it does. The give and take of sympathy is so complex. I’m glad we explore the subject but we are after all only human and can only try.
You bring up a good point Donia – there are probably none of us who are innocent of ever prejudging, but oftentimes living with a persistent & invisible disease is something we can use to become more sensitive to others’ invisible problems. I remember 30 yrs ago a wise counselor told me to question some thoughts that come to mind, and reject ones that don’t align with what I believe or who I want to be – and like you, the thought has crossed my mind for a split second that a person without a handicapped tag for example isn’t sick… but like junk mail that crosses my desk, I discard it & say to myself & sometimes my son, “No we have no idea what that person is dealing with.”
What I was hoping to say in the post is that while no one can truly understand, that can be okay – – There are many wonderful people in the world who are willing to try, or express whatever level of compassion they can. It would help us to focus on that.
As usual, you are able to beautifully articulate something I’ve thought about but in my head it is all a jumble! You’ve also reminded me to be a bit kinder to those I get fed up with because they don’t understand what it is like. And finally – that song! What a Wonderful World has been “our song” though after 20 years of marriage we often forget. While I can’t dance around the living room like the old days, I think my DH and I will manage to stumble around to our song today!
I learned a valuable lesson when my children were little. At that time I hadn’t been officially diagnosed with RA but I was already battling Inflammatory Bowel Disease and coping with the loss of my mother and the loss of my second pregnancy. I met a woman who always showed kindness but never complained. We became friends and one day I told her of my troubles. I was astounded to discover that even though she was a healthy looking,outgoing, kind, and compassionate person that she had been dealt a far more unkind hand in life. She had lupus and had struggled through organ damage and surgery and she had lost a four year old child in a car accident and she very nearly died from that same accident. I was humbled. We all have a battle to fight. It is just that some are more visible than others.
As a nurse, I have learned that there is always going to be someone out there much worse off than I am. It gives me an appreciation for the good that is in my life. Just like nobody knows what I’m going through, the same can be said for the people I encounter. Another great lesson I’ve learned is being kind to others is a win-win. It lifts the other person and it even helps you to feel better. We spend so much time sharing ideas on how to feel better…how to reduce our pain, what meds to take or what diet and exercises we can be doing. It’s wonderful to have a network to share these things, but even though we may have similar problems, we don’t all have similar remedies. The only thing I think we can all benefit from is being kind to others. There are a few days here and there where even my tank is empty. We all have times when we just can’t reach in and pull anything out, but my wish is I can live the remainder of my life in gratitude and share that to the best of my ability with others.