Some days, empathy is hard to come by. Thanks to working the 12 Steps (working my ass off on the 12 Steps, if I do say so myself) it's not many days, but some.
This helps:
(And by the way, there is nothing especially laudable about working your ass off on the 12 Steps. In fact, I'm reminded of a saying attributed to Bill Wilson: 'Congratulating an alcoholic for not drinking is a little bit like praising a cowboy with hemorrhoids for staying off the horse.' Working hard on the 12 Steps is not heroic. It's pain reduction.)