Great post, Deb (the title alone is giving me much food for thought!). Many times, our lack of  compassion and empathy comes from the rush and pressure of our busy lives--we so often have our minds fixed on the 101 things that we have to get done, whereas reaching out "to connect, to show empathy, and to demonstrate compassion" takes time and energy, so that we miss out on so many opportunities . . . often without even realizing that those opportunities have slipped us by. It is when I am making the effort to slow the day down--consciously working to live in the moment--that I have the best success at recognizing and lifting up those around me.