My husband was a pro-athlete who was also a high-level working professional in the athletics retail industry when he contracted West Nile. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with my second child at the time and we didn't know if he was going to make it. It flipped our world upside down and now I'm the sole income earner and he's decided to go back to school to get his PhD in Psychology as well as be a stay-at-home dad. There are moments that I truly understand how he felt; the pressure, the guilt, the joy, the freedom, the independence of being the breadwinner, and on the flip-side, now he understands what it was like before for me - to be lonely, tired, bored, loved, cherished, proud and a fulfilled stay-at-home parent. The levels of understanding we have for one another, based entirely in empathy has been quite an eye-opening realization for us as parents and spouses. I entered Jim into the Dove All-Star Dad contest this year, and he came in second. Our story is one of many, but it also goes to show that we really have to at least try to walk a mile in someone's shoes before we fully know what they're feeling. My blog is about looking through the filter of another's experience and to evaluate how empathy can be a great approach to work, parenting, love and life.