My Own Creative Words: Empathy Building in San Francisco

I found it interesting that when being sent by my company to a seminar about leading with emotional intelligence, which emphasizes empathy among its aspects, that Christ put me in a situation to do a little empathy building of my own.

As many know, I struggle with several medical conditions. Most people don't know it unless I tell them (unless they've seen me at my worst when I can't hide symptoms which is rare). I try very very hard to live a 'normal' life and only ask for adjustments when required.

One aspect of this trip was that it was my first one flying with a new medication that is in syringes. That actually went quite well.

The surprises came at the hotel.

When I arrived at the hotel in San Francisco, the woman at the front desk told me:

"We have you down for an accessible hotel room."

I asked her to repeat this. I'd made a special request for a microwave for health reasons, but I never asked the folks arranging travel to get me an accessible room. She confirmed that yes, I'm down for that, but she couldn't see why I'd need it.

Now I found myself in a bind. I didn't know if corporate requested this. I didn't think they did, but technically someone with my condition could request a room like this. In the end, I decided to go with it and save us all a lot of hassle. How bad could it be?

In point of fact, it was not bad at all as far as what it offered. In terms of communication, it had bright illuminating lights on the wall for ringing phones and a doorbell for the hard of hearing (I originally thought the latter was some sort of panic emergency button for people to get in, it wasn't until the 2nd day I found the strobe for the doorbell). The room was much wider than a standard king size room, as was the restroom with handles against the walls for everything, and a shower equipped for sitting and standing. The front door also had peepholes at two levels, regular height and wheelchair height.

What I wasn't prepared for was how I'd feel emotionally being in that room. My first reaction was, "I'm no cripple!" but then I realized that if I was worse off, this would be a great place as I started to think about all the things offered. Right now, for the moment, the place would be good enough for me. It helped me be a bit more at peace with my own current situation, and empowered me to see my strengths which have been difficult to see as I've struggled with a new diagnosis.

By the time I was done with the trip, I confess I felt very spoiled by the experience. Now when I see someone traveling who is wheelchair bound, or hard of hearing, I'll relate to what they go through and definitely know a great hotel to recommend to them - Hilton Union Square. No, this is not a plug paid by money and I've gotten no swag... the 'payment' was in how my own mind was open to better relate to people in this world.