After reflecting on this situation, I finally figured out that when she started talking to me about not having more children, I instantly heard grief in her voice and that scared me. In fact, it shut down my compassion. I could have handled anger or fear, or maybe even shame. But not grief. I was experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety about my book deadline. I was also in my own grief about the time that I would be away from my new baby as I headed back to work. I filtered her story through my emotions. In other words, my own stuff just got in the way of my compassion.
