When wildfires 3000 kilometres away disrupted my travel plans this week, it provided a lesson in how empathy can help us keep our own problems in perspective. 

Welcome to the 116^th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a simple living challenge for the week. Along with thoughts on empathy, this week’s edition looks at the power of mindset, the slippery slope of weight-loss drugs, and the loosening of Ontario’s recycling regulations.

On my mind this week: Empathy puts troubles in perspective

Earlier this week, as I prepared for my trip to Niagara Falls to speak at a conference, I got a call from the hotel I was booked to stay at. When the conversation starts with, “This is Maria from the Wyndham Grand in Niagara Falls. I must apologize…”, you know it’s not good news.

Maria explained that their hotel had been designated by the Government of Canada as an emergency evacuation centre for people displaced due to the wildfires in Manitoba. This meant they had to cancel my reservation. Having seen the news reports of the devastation caused by the wildfires, I simply responded, “That’s okay. I guess I will just make other arrangements.”

Maria paused, and then said mine was the easiest phone call she had made all day. It was late afternoon, and I can only imagine what a long day it had been for her. I’m sure she had been on the receiving end of many angry outbursts and had heard more than a few choice words.

After chatting for a couple of minutes, Maria thanked me for my kindness and wished me luck with my travel plans.

Empathy can help with many of life’s challenges

Our conversation reminded me of the importance of empathy—a quality that seems to be in short supply in our world these days.

At one time, I would not have responded so calmly to this kind of news. But I’ve learned that most of the things we get upset about are just minor inconveniences. And there’s always a solution.

When life throws obstacles in our way, it’s so important to keep things in perspective. Exercising empathy—putting ourselves in the shoes of others—can help us see that things could be worse.

As I processed the news, I initially thought of myself. Sure, it sucked that I no longer had a place to stay for my trip. But then I considered how my situation compared to the other players in this story.

First, there’s the hotel employee just doing her job. How would screaming and yelling at Maria help? It would just make us both feel bad. And it wouldn’t change anything.

Beyond that, there’s the bigger picture. How does my minor inconvenience compare to the emotional upheaval for people forced to travel thousands of kilometres with only the belongings they could carry? Add in the culture shock of Niagara Falls for someone from a small Indigenous community in northern Manitoba, and the fact that they have no idea if they’ll have homes or communities to go back to, and my story doesn’t even compare.

It all worked out okay

In the end, I secured another hotel room a short walk from the hotel where the conference was being held. It was a smaller, less expensive hotel, but it was clean and comfortable. I saved some money, and the longer walk gave me a chance for a little exercise.

Above all, I learned that empathy is always the best way to deal with life’s challenges.

The wildfire situation in Canada’s west continues to be grave. I pray for relief from the wildfires, for the safety of those risking their lives fighting the fires, and for a safe return home for the thousands of people who have been evacuated from their communities.  

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Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• On Monday, I went for an ice cream date at Bartley’s Dairy Bar in Woodstock with my sister and a dear friend of ours. It was yummy.
• Our bathroom renovation is FINALLY wrapping up after three months. It looks great.
• My conference presentation in Niagara Falls went well. I met some new people and had some time to enjoy the amazing beauty of the Falls. No matter how many times I visit, it’s a sight that always fills me with awe.

Things I learned this week

Thanks to my travels, I fell behind with my usual newsletter and blog reading this week. Here are a few things I learned:

The power of mindset

The conference featured a terrific keynote by Dr. Karyn Gordon, author of The Three Chairs. She started with a couple of quick polls where we learned that 70% of us suffer from imposter syndrome, and 80% of all our thoughts are negative. On a positive note, she said each of us has the power to change our mindset. I’ll share more on Dr. Karyn’s talk soon.

Weight loss drugs aren’t a magic cure-all

In a terrific presentation on the pharmacy landscape for employer-sponsored benefit plans, Barbara Martinez from Canada Life shared some interesting facts about those GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic that have exploded in popularity in recent years. I knew these drugs were initially used to treat type 2 diabetes. What I didn’t realize is the “weight loss versions” of these drugs are the exact same drug, just marketed under a different name.

These drugs definitely help people lose weight but, as more effective versions of the drugs emerge, people are losing too much weight leading to potentially fatal malnutrition.

I also learned that, while obesity contributes to a variety of health concerns, there is no evidence that these drugs make you healthier just because you lose weight. Losing weight with these drugs without corresponding lifestyle changes (i.e. diet and exercise) introduces other health risks from poor diet and sedentary lifestyle.

All this made me consider the ethics of pharmaceutical marketing and our desire for a quick fix for all our problems.

Ontario loosens recycling regulations

Living with a community with a well-managed recycling and waste management program, I have been skeptical since our Ontario government announced their plans to take over and “improve” our recycling programs across the province. (Read more in Is privatization of recycling a good thing?) It turns out my skepticism was warranted.

This week, the Ontario government quietly announced some changes that are a huge step back for our province. First, they pushed back the deadline for manufacturers to deal with the waste they produce…by five years! They’re also scrapping plans to expand the existing blue box program to more multi-residential buildings, and public spaces.

(Source: The Record)

This week’s simple living challenge – Repurpose existing containers

Simplifying life is a big part of living more intentionally. With that in mind, I kicked off the year with 52 ways to simplify your life this year, including a downloadable checklist of weekly tasks.

This week’s challenge is to get creative and repurpose existing containers for storage. As a couple of simple examples, I use yogurt containers to organize craft supplies, and boxes from small electronics as dividers in my bathroom drawers.

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I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.