Reflections of Adapting with compassion with picture by Gail Okerman

gokerman — 2026-09-27 13:31:22 UTC

Intergenerational Relationships

2026-10-01 23:03:56 UTC

Relationships shift and change over time - they need to if we are to adapt to new versions of self, new identities, new roles that we undertake. I learned to "hold space" for my dad in his later-in-life and end-of-life journey (which was very different than younger versions of each of us); for my kids in their coming-of-age years and into their own adult journeys; and for myself in what that meant / means for both my inner and outer journeys. I often think of the "many streams of life" and what that asks of us at any given time, how we stay present to what's "real" in the moment without losing ourselves in what we believe about the past or the future that is not yet known to us - even as we show up and live our purpose(s) in the present moment.

Adapting with Compassion

2026-10-15 00:20:19 UTC

I have never given much thought to the concept of adapting with compassion. I always felt that adapting is a natural part of who we are as human beings, although some of us may find it easier than others.

This may sound very bold, but I believe adapting is one of my strengths. It is simply something I naturally do. Just as we adjust to changing weather conditions, we learn to adjust to the changes life brings our way.

However, adapting with compassion is more than just adjusting. It is about doing so with understanding, patience, and kindness toward ourselves and others. I do believe that most people adapt with compassion. I hope I am right.

Empty Nester

2026-10-15 00:42:25 UTC

Being a dad has been one one of the greatest honors of my adult life. The relationships that I have with my three adult children is something that I treasure and appreciate. Now that my "kids" are 26 (Tyler), 24 (Kiley), and 20 (Evan), they have moved on to create their own lives. The transition from having kids in the house with parental responsibilities to being an empty nester has been slightly challenging. This journey of adaptation with compassion is one that my wife and I are learning as we go, trying to support our children in their adventures but also missing having them at home. Watching each of my kids pursue their dreams and start families of their own brings me great joy and I look forward to what the future holds for our entire family!

Adapting (with compassion and fear)

swhittier2 — 2026-10-18 09:08:28 UTC

Adapting, sometimes with compassion and other times not is a part of who we are. As people and especially educators, we are continually adapting. This past summer, my husband and I visited Yellowstone, and then spent several days in Montana (which if you have never been I highly recommend). I have never been much of a risk taker, but the older I get the more I want to do. Even if it terrifies me! During our visit at Yellowstone we met a couple who had taken a lesson on fly fishing on the Madison River. It sounds great up until the women said she hooked her own ear! I wanted to try new things, and to fly fish the Madison was it. I was nervous, but I did it. It was an amazing three hours! I am so glad that I didn't let the fear of potentially hooking myself or others in the river, and I let myself do something that I would never had expected.

2026-10-19 17:30:14 UTC

I know my parents will not be around forever, so spending time with them has become a priority. This past summer, I spent more time with them than I have in a long time. Our time together seems much more meaningful over the past few years. We reminisce and share stories we may never have shared before. We laugh, we joke, and genuinely enjoy our time together. When my parents are no longer here, I want to remember all the stories, laughs, and history.

Life is change!

2026-10-19 22:17:05 UTC

It's sort of comical to think of myself "grown up" at 24, or 34 compared to myself now at 44... I suppose I'll feel that way about this time in later years. Isn't it nice to know that we keep growing FOREVER?!? I recently read a book "The Correspondent" and the main character, a woman in her late 70's and 80's makes such a transformation over the course of the book- I found it so inspiring to imagine that even as an "old woman" its never too late to try something new, start over, repair relationships, and change one's life!! For myself this means adapting to a family that is ever growing as well. I joke that when I decided to go for kid #4 I had no idea yet about how hard parenting is. Tough parenting then was the endlessness of making food and cleaning messes. Now I feel so "in the thick" of all the demands of raising a functional human... times 4! My 4 kids are in 3 different school (plus mine- 4 open houses....) and between drs, therapists, sports, friends etc times 4 I am never not in divide and conquer mode with my husband. Never in a million years did I imagine that just spending a few minutes daily with each of my kids would be hard to fit in. And that's just meeting their basic needs. I guess a "mother's work is worry" but I feel endlessly overwhelmed in getting the next level care in- teaching them skills for adulthood. Life just feels so different from when I was a kid and I feel like I'm blowing it! I want to throw every screen away and see if it makes us all feel like we have more time and connection. I guess what I'm getting at is the why of the why of this class.... life is changing, I'm changing, and we all need to adapt!

Adapting with Compassion - Laura

2026-10-20 19:16:01 UTC

I think, as humans, we are marvelously good at adapting in all aspects of our life, but the degree of change is directly correlated with the degree of grace with which we handle it. Small adaptations are happening all the time and we seem to meet these with ease. Sucha adaptations could include a new colleague, new routines, and small hurdles that are not as impactful. Large changes such as a forced move in positions at work, a workload that includes difficult students, or a change in financial circumstances are much more deeply impactful. In these circumstances, I believe it is important to practice gratitude. Focus on your blessings and these adaptations will naturally occur with compassion. When you can stay rooted in what you are grateful for and what you have, you can meet these challenges with grace, dignity, and compassion because these changes keep coming whether we are ready or not.

Hailee Attorri - Adapting with Compassion

2026-10-21 15:24:19 UTC

I lost my sister Kristie to a tragic accident in May 2022, two weeks after giving birth to my first child. Navigating grief and new motherhood was the hardest thing I ever experienced. My sisters (Jaimee, Kristie, and Erin) are my world. Kristie made me laugh like no other person, truly. She was hilarious, silly, and a dedicated therapeutic mentor to kids who experienced trauma and difficulties in their life. Her loss is something I deal with every single day. Her loss is felt so deeply.

Have you ever felt awkward talking to someone after someone lost a loved one? I used to always. Now, after experiencing the worst grief of my life, I have NO PROBLEM talking to someone who lost a loved one. It’s a weird skill I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But now I know what to say and do when interacting with those who experienced loss. It doesn’t mean tears don’t fall while I chat with you, but I will be able to communicate with someone else my sorrow in their loss, acknowledge their loss, and ask them to tell me about their lost loved one. I also implement bereavement now for my students and say “you can be here or you don’t have to be here, take the quiz or test or don’t, but all your work is now exempt if you want it.” And it allows for conversations to happen when I might have been afraid to before.

Eric Short- Adapting with Compassion

2026-10-21 16:05:09 UTC

This picture shows my father standing on the steps of our family cabin in the Adirondacks, taken 15 years ago as the build was almost complete. My dad worked hard his entire life to give my siblings and me the very best, culminating in this breathtaking mountain-top compound.

Recently, our family hit a turning point. My father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, making it impossible for him to maintain the full property and creating a need for a home designed specifically for his care. Over the past two years, my brother, sister, and I have worked together to sell part of the land and the original cabin. This spring, we are building a new home for him on the lake, right next door to my sister.

Making extra trips back to New York and navigating this change hasn't been easy, but it has taught me a vital lesson: family matters far more than any material thing. Today, we are in the final steps of sale, and my dad is excited and grateful for this next chapter. Through love and teamwork, we can adapt to anything.

Lauren Viola-Adapting with Compassion

viola_lauren — 2026-10-21 17:09:41 UTC

My mother passed away three years ago and that brought challenges as we navigated holidays and other special occasions. This picture was taken in 2024 after my father started dating someone. We welcomed her into our home and they are currently engaged! It was definitely an adjustment seeing someone "replace" my mother who had been with my dad for 40+ years. Together, my sister's and I, are embracing her and her family as we navigate new traditions. The three of us have different view points on his recent engagement, but I am trying my best to lead with compassion!

Adapting with Compassion

2026-10-21 21:28:55 UTC

Life sure requires constantly adapting to change - change that is welcome and exciting and other versions of change that challenge us to our soul. The older I get, the more I try to appreciate the simplist things in life: first and foremost is time with family. I treasure the visits with my parents in their 80's and the weekends when I see my almost grown and flown kids, ages 27, 23 and 20! As others have mentioned, it is both wonderful to see them take hold of their young lives and begin their own adventures, at the same time a sad reminder of time gone by. Day by day (sometimes hour by hour, if I am being honest), I try to savor the beauty of life and approach challenges with grace and compassion - for myself and everyone else around me.

Adapting with a different perspective

2026-10-21 22:44:56 UTC

I am in my 10th year of teaching! And just when you think you are finally getting the hang of it something changes. Sometimes it’s the school getting a new curriculum to learn starting day 1. Or it’s your own life that you’re adapting to a new normal. I am coming back to school from maternity leave which has its own emotional struggles: pumping at school, no sleep, missing time with my baby and constantly feeling like I’m missing something. But I’m “supposed” to back to school where everyone is expecting the same organized teacher who is on top of everything. This year I’m adapting to a new normal for me: being okay with not having everything planned out for the entire week or trying a new idea I JUST thought of on the car ride to school. So far it just feels like I’m taking one day at a time. I know I’ll catch up and be more planned soon enough but for now I put my all into one day at a time.

Adapting with compassion

2026-10-21 22:48:10 UTC

Adapting to the ever changing journey that we have traveled with our children has been an incredible experience. From infants who need you at every moment, to pre-teens and teens who need you when it works for them and then inevitably the young adults they have grown into. Sharing the house with two college graduates and one soon to be graduate has certainly taken some adapting! I wish I could say I always approached it compassionately! However, I now share office space with a hybrid full-time Mechanical Engineer and a hybrid Communications Coordinator, and it has gone more smoothly than we could have imagined. We will be adding one more hybrid full-time Civil Engineer to the mix in May and I absolutely cannot wait! So blessed to have the space and ability to welcome them all home even with all of the adjustments.

Adapting & Reflecting

acantatore3 — 2026-10-22 16:08:39 UTC

Two and a half years ago my father-in-law passed away somewhat suddenly. It was obviously a difficult time for my family, especially wife and kids. As we navigated life without Papa, I learned how to deal with people in my family different. My mother-in-law needed support and grace that I would have probably been annoyed with prior. Despite being together for over 20 years, I learned how to communicate better with my wife and how to give her what she needed to grieve, which is different than what I would need. It also made me appreciate what my parents do for me and how lucky I am to have them (and grandparents!) still in my life. Dealing with loss is not a strength of mine, as it forces you to adapt in an abrupt and unwanted way. Adapting to student situations on the job is not as emotionally taxing as significant personal issues, but we can learn from the latter to be flexible, patient, and empathetic towards our students becuase we often don't see what issues they are navigating in their own personal lives and how they are equipped to deal with it.

Jennifer Jensen- Adapting with Compassion

2026-10-26 00:33:34 UTC

Adapting with compassion- not something I think about regularly. People instinctively adapt as needed, but doing it with compassion is something that takes thoughtful work. I have always been good at adapting; it was a required skill to be a part of my family. The compassion aspect came to me with time and perspective.

Looking back on those crazy, stressful years of early motherhood, I know I could have handled things with more compassion. I was short with my family more than I would have liked. But at the time, it was all about making it through to the next game, birthday, school function, etc. As the stress of that time lessened (does the stress of parenting ever end?) my compassion seemed to go up.

Now that my children are adults (26 & 28), I try to be the compassionate voice of reason to help guide them as they adapt to their new roles in life.