Sitting with Suffering

Hey there! Dunkin again.

Today I was thinking’ back to my days living in an eating disorder residential as a therapy dog (before my forced retirement). Those days were tough, but man, I felt a purpose. Some days the residents needed to learn skills to get better. Other days, they were hurting and really just needed someone (me) to sit beside them, not give any advice, but just show up and BE with them. No agenda. Just someone to sit with them in their pain. In my long ten years of

life, I’ve noticed a shift in people culture. A lot of human people get super uncomfortable sitting with someone who is suffering. They want to fix the situation so it’s no longer uncomfortable. But, here’s the thing- Some things don’t have a quick fix. Some things, like loss, hurt really deep and no words can make it go away. Sometimes we just need someone to hold our paw/hand, lend a shoulder, and help carry each other’s pain.

That doesn’t mean sit for months at a time not moving. Eventually, I would nudge the resident and encourage them to take me on a walk, or throw a ball (I don’t actually fetch- I just kinda chase the ball, steal it, then drop it in a random location), or get up and get me a treat! We can sit with someone who is suffering, help shoulder their burdens, then encourage them to get up and start moving. If you ever have the pleasure of experiencing this, it’s quite beautiful.

Now, where’s my ball so I can play fetch-I mean, catch and drop in random places and make my mom go pick up the ball.

#mentalhealth #sittinginsuffering #grief