A Child’s Empathy

In swim class today I saw three little ones shivering. Their lips blue, their chins trembling, they struggled through their exercises trying hard to ignore the cold. My daughter was the bluest of all and little tears rolled down her cheeks even as she worked through her back floats and front floats. When she reached the wall again she turned to the little boy next to her, his chin moving uncontrollably, and said, “I know it’s cold.” He just nodded at her.

That’s true empathy, to suffer alongside someone and still want to comfort them. I need a lesson in this. I need to remember this sweet example of kindness the next time I feel the need to judge or condemn someone. I need to remember that we’re all on this great big ball of blue together. We need to look at our neighbor’s trembling chin and smile through our own pain and say, “I know it’s cold.”