Do you find yourself getting easily impatient with others? Do you feel judgemental towards someone no matter how hard you try to let go? Having trouble finding compassion for the alcoholics and addicts in your life? Are you having trouble finding compassion for yourself? Listen as Swetha, Kelli, and Spencer talk about their understanding of compassion, the ways they have found it, or not been able to find it, and how it has helped their recovery.

Some of the questions we touch on are:

• What is compassion?
• How is it different from sympathy or empathy?
• Why does compassion matter? Why do we talk about feeling compassion in the program?
• What does compassion have to do with feeling serenity?
• How/when do you struggle with finding compassion for another?
  • Why?
  • With whom?
  • what about finding compassion with/ for yourself? Is that a struggle?
• How has compassion helped you to live with / co-exist with / deal with the alcoholic(s) or addict(s) in your life?

Our topic for next week is self-care. Please call us at 734-707-8795 or email feedback@therecoveryshow.com with your questions or experience, strength and hope. Or just leave a comment right here.

Music from the show

Goo Goo Dolls: Black Balloon

R.E.M.: Everybody Hurts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijZRCIrTgQc

Shawn Mullins: Lullaby

Other Stuff

We forgot to mention this TED talk by Joan Halifax about compassion:

Spencer read from Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle.

The podcast that Spencer refers to when the girls are singing “i'm sorry mama” is Act 20 from This American Life episode 241, “The Greatest Thing I Ever saw on Stage“