I was going to follow up last week’s post on compassion with a nice, slightly controversial sermon on finding compassion for our enemies. It was going to be amazing.

Slight problem: I’m not feeling particularly compassionate today.

Maybe it’s fatigue from yet another brutal murder in Israel, maybe it’s secondary trauma from following the news too much, or maybe it’s just a normal human limitation. I’m just not feeling compassionate today. And that’s ok.

It’s easy to talk the talk. We can all write a book on the right thing to do at any given moment. We can deliver a lecture on the best way to live. But sometimes we need to stop talking and start doing.

Similarly, it’s easy for us to know in our minds what the right thing is to do. It’s another thing completely to actually do it.

For example, I started meditating daily about three years ago. It has been a great gift to my serenity and peace of mind. I talk about meditation a lot, and I lead two groups in a meditation exercise every week.  But over the past few months, I find my routine slipping. And I find myself taking comfort in talking about meditation, even though I’m not practicing as much as I used to. If I may turn a Proverb on its head - that’s what it looks like to say a lot, and do a little.

I think I’ve said enough.

Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW CASAC-G maintains a private practice in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington Heights, NYC, with specialties in addictions and anxiety. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Contact: (530) 334-6882 or shimmyfeintuch@gmail.com. 

Sign up for the Spiritual Sofa newsletter to receive each blog post before it's posted here!