The Kindness of Commiserating

"To commiserate is sometimes more than to give, for money is external to a man's self, but he who bestows compassion communicates his own soul."
~ William Mountford

A woman I know, an attorney, recently ran into another woman she knows, an accountant.  The attorney has always admired the accountant, who comes across as a no-nonsense, very successful professional.  The women have known each other for more than 10 years.

 
On this recent encounter, they talked about traveling and the accountant confessed that she has become increasingly nervous about highway driving.  The attorney could hardly believe it as she has the same issue.  They traded stories about their fears and about difficult situations in which they had found themselves.  They chuckled that they shared the same fear and both left the conversation feeling better that her issue was not hers alone.