hearing the commonality

Prior to recovery, I would hear the 'differences' instead of listening for the 'commonality' when others were talking to me. In 12-step vernacular, I was 'terminally unique' which is another way of saying that I thought my problems were a LOT worse than your problems.

Thanks to the miracle of recovery, I can hear the similarities in our stories when listening to other people talk and get stuck focusing on finding the differences. My sister and I have been working on the process of getting a court-appointed guardian for our mother. Several people this week talked with me about their aging parent issues. I was able to hear the similarities while responding with compassion and empathy. After each conversation, we both felt better.

I am grateful to hear the similarities while talking with others. That is a lot better than being terminally unique with my self-pity and loneliness.