Yesterday afternoon in the pouring rain of storm Dennis I stood with my friend and her husband under her car roof deep in conversation (she was kindly donating books to a local free cycle and I was receiving them for our work lending library). In our conversation (all three of us coming from an educational background) were gently discussing the challenges and choices facing our society today and especially our young people, our children, our charges….

Amid the words of connection between us, one sentence resonated all day with me as I meandered the town in the tears of the storm..’I worry about the lack of empathy today..’

I couldn’t shake ‘off’ these words, and I know it is because ’empathy is the esscence of all emotional engagements’

…in all my professional learning and practice it is the pivatol point from which I centre myself, and in my own journey as Tracey it is central to my existence.

To give or receive empathy one has to engage with kindness. If you happen to be around me in any of my impassioned conversations on ‘wellness’ you will have heard my mantra..’be kind to yourself, be kind to your partner whoever that happens to be in your life, (lover, parent, friend) and be kind to our children.’

When we shower ourselves in kindness we acknowledge our ‘wellness’ state and nurture it’s fragility, when we are kind to our partners we strengthen our support and connection, and when we are kind to our children we are sowing the seeds of love.’

To be empathetic and flow with kindness we need wellness…it’s a ‘circle of nourishment’ that feeds our hearts, our heads and our happiness.

We will not always experience good times or good feelings but kindness allows empathy to work it’s magic…empathy connects us to ourselves and others…

I have had many moments in my life where I have had the energy, time and fullness to show and shower empathy to myself, my partner’s (Gary, family and friends), and to my children..however there have been times I have been lacking in empathy due to illness, grief and challenges, but in those moments when I couldn’t fully be kind to myself, others or my children, family and friends held me tightly with kindred kindness, touched me with acts of practical kindness and words, and carried my children for me as I nursed myself back to full parenthood again..

The heart and head are fragile…empathically empower them with the fuel of your kindness, you deserve it, so does your partner and certainly our children….

And always know you are loved and there is someone there xox