My older sister and I are a lot alike in some ways. Because of that, on occasion we can grate against each other. In 2009 my then 91 year old father had a fall and broke his hip.
My younger sister, who lives closest to him and sees him often, was just about to go on a long planned family vacation when it happened. My older sister and I flew out to take care of him while she was gone.
Honestly I had a bit of anxiety wondering if my sister and I would get along. We ended up spending 10 days together taking care of him in the hospital, sometimes tag teaming it, other times being there together for the entire day. The rest of the time we were at my younger sister’s home. We didn’t argue, we didn’t grate and we didn’t disagree about anything, at least not from my perspective.
What we experienced was miniscule compared to what happens in a calamity the size of the events in Japan, Haiti and Banda Aceh over the past few years. But the idea is the same; in circumstances where you are either trying to survive or helping someone else survive you lose interest in petty squabbles and selfish positions.
The question is, how do you tap into that sensitivity when life is ‘normal’? What do you have to remember, do, say or not say to make it happen? Give your insight and advice in the comments, ok?
Drawing and commentary © 2019 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Quote by George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), 1819-1880, English novelist