We spend a lot of energy masking our disappointment. When another person unexpectedly shares their own, we re-learn that we are a human amongst other humans – searching, striving, imperfect. Their sharing disarms us because it mirrors back our own fragility as well as our resilience. To connect in a meaningful way with the disappointment of another is to honor our own grief. This allowing reminds us to relate tenderly to pain, giving it the space that it needs. States of being are fluid and ever-changing; they need our attention and our friendship. Caring about the suffering of another requires that we befriend our own, that we touch into the ache we are often on the verge of ignoring.
