Taste Life Blog

Valentine’s Day…yes, yes, yes, it’s a love day!  But, Valentine’s Day is only one day of the year. There are more “like days” than loves days. Day to day life brings challenges. You have to like the person, besides love the person, you live with.

We have many tolerations living with our “roommates” whom we love.  My papers on the kitchen counter irritate Gary and he says, “the kitchen is for food, not papers.”  But I tell him, “I like to sit in my kitchen, drink something warm, and go over my papers.” I inform Gary my next office will be a giant kitchen to make me feel at home and get work done. Gary takes liquid fish oil and every morning and I can smell fish oil by my sink. Sometimes it makes me gag. I found out he was wiping his fish oil bottle every morning with the dish cloth. Yuck! No wonder I was daily smelling fish! At 10 pm I get a second wind and want to read the newspaper in bed as my reward for the day. Gary is toast by 10pm as he gets up by 5am and exercises for two hours every morning. We try to have the lights out every night by 10:30pm.

We are so different yet share common values.  We have been married forever and don’t want to ever take each other for granted.  I am always searching for ideas for a happier home life.

For about a year now, we have been doing this Compassion Exercise. Almost every night, after dinner we sit at the kitchen table and take turns doing this exercise. It reminds me not everyone is like me and to accept people for who they are. And, it helps me turn off the lights at 10:30pm for Gary.

Print Recipe

A Daily Recipe for Compassion

Practice this daily and your love, compassion and relationships will grow!

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:

Rate this recipe!

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

to infinity! MetricUS Imperial

Cook Time 10 minutes Servings to infinity! MetricUS Imperial

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. With attention to the person, repeat to yourself:
   Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his /her life.
2. With attention to the person, repeat to yourself:
   Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/ her life.
3. With attention to the person, repeat to yourself:
   Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.
4. With attention to the person, repeat to yourself:
   Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/ her needs.
5. With attention to the person, repeat to yourself:
   Just like me, this person is learning about life.

Recipe Notes

Gary and I take turns stating each statement.

Compassion grows. The more you put in the more beautiful it gets! And the better you feel. When you step into other people’s shoes you show up being more kind, gentle, and patient. Your like days become love days. I want that for each of you!

Hope you can try this exercise with the people you love and care about!

Gary and I cannot wait to hear your results!

Source: This is one of 30 exercises that can be found in ReSurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness by Harry Palmer

Harry suggests that this exercise can be done anywhere people congregate (airports, malls, parks, beaches). When you do with strangers, do it unobtrusively, from some distance. Try to do all 5 steps with the same person.