Understanding Other People

This week, in my inbox was an email from Rick Kelly, a colleague I worked with over twenty years ago at John Hancock. He sent a note to about 20 of us who all worked together and used to go to Cape Cod the second Sunday of every June for a conference. I have not talked to any of the people on this list for over two decades, and this note came out of the blue. It was a wonderful reminder of a time when we were younger and enjoyed being together on our “work time”!
 

 What does the most famous, successful, wealthy person you can think of have in common with the newspaper delivery person or the maid at the hotel you stayed at for your last vacation? They are very likely plagued by negative self-talk. People who are successful often tell themselves they are “phonies” or they aren’t successful enough or that the bottom is going to fall out at any point.

For those readers who dislike country music, it probably gets old that I find so much of my material here, but this line from one of Tim McGraw’s biggest songs always gets to me. He sings about a man who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and uses the opportunity to do things he would never have done – go skydiving, go rocky mountain climbing, and sit on a raging bull for 2.7 seconds. He says that he hopes everyone gets the chance to “live like you were dyin’.”
 

 The folks who read my blogs or know anything about me know that I am a huge country music fan. I was listening to the radio recently and heard a song by Big and Rich, “That’s Why I Pray”. If you don’t know this song, the repeating lyrics say:
 

This week, I had the unfortunate opportunity to be in the emergency room with my favorite pet, waiting to be seen. A woman sitting right across from me engaged me in conversation – she had a dog named Bella and I have a dog named Bella at home (not the pet at the hospital). She loved purple and had a purple phone and a purple leash on Bella. I love purple and had my purple purse and sweatshirt with me. She just returned from a cruise that she hated and still felt seasick from, and I went on a cruise where I felt sick for weeks afterward.
 

Thank you to the talented Karen Rowe for providing this blog.