You could say it was happenstance or just the music doing its job. It was through performing at an outdoor concert in Toronto that the door opened for me to experience performing music in a healthcare setting. I was heard by the Music Programmer at Sunnybrook Hospital and I have been honoured to play for the Veterans and their families at Sunnybrook in their Warriors Hall, in the gardens and on some of the wards for the more vulnerable residents for over 10 years. 

In those spaces, up close, I watched the power of music do its work - with all of us - moving our bodies and our hearts. There’s a kind of “musicking” that has a circular, reciprocal effect where people can somehow manage to meet in the space between, song by song and note by note. I don’t think you can do as many of these types of gigs as I have over the years without your heart naturally being wedged open further to a place of deeper empathy. 

After watching the wonderful care given by the staff at Sunnybrook Hospital, my wife Mary Ellen and I found ourselves as full-time carers for her Mom across a 6 year journey with her struggle with dementia. For my wife, the load was at times very heavy with challenges and demands always changing. I became very aware of the heavy load that people in those kinds of care situations carry - the risk of burn out and feeling invisible, sometimes to the person they are caring for with dementia. And of course, there are the complexities of care when it is such an intimate mother-daughter relationship. But my wife also discovered that this crucible offered up precious moments of intimacy and connection that ironically were only possible because of her Mom’s changing mental landscape.

And of course, care extends out to everyone in the home. I did my bit to support them, in part as the “big tease” with my Scottish sense of humour. But I was also able to connect with and encourage my mother-in-law Ruth through her relationship to music. She had been a singer and piano player all her life and previously, I had helped her fulfill her passion by recording two albums for her – one of her favourite Gospel songs and another of her favourite Jazz tunes - which have been great companions for her. As the dementia progressed, we continued to encourage her to play piano for us, well into her nineties, which was a blessing for all of us but also great exercise for her cognitively and physically. At times, I would play boogie woogie piano to help her persevere with her walking routine as the body made it more and more difficult.

As a lifelong songwriter, my radar is always on high alert - for fragments of lyrics and music that can be heard in the ether, or simply in conversation. One day, after a performance at the Sunnybrook Hospital, I was having a conversation with a staff member. A line in the conversation stuck with me. The staff member had said to me, “if only I could have put a little bit of my feet in her shoes.” That’s all it took for me to have my songwriting wheels start turning. The melody was mapped out during my drive home and a song began to be born. Songs are funny things. It can take a while before you see fully what you’ve written and what it means to you. I knew I was writing about expressing empathy for someone who was struggling. But I’ve since realized all the places I have seen where empathy is needed – empathy for my mother-in-law, empathy for my wife as her carer and empathy for all the professional carers in different health settings - the brave care warriors who need to be cheered on and reminded that it is OK to ask for help.

The song ended up winning the 2022 Mississauga Summer Song Contest and was recorded at Metalworks Studio in Mississauga, produced by myself and Justin Abedin (Jacksoul/Justin Hines) who also plays electric guitar and features an all-star cast of musicians, including Lyle Molzan (Jann Arden), Mark McIntyre (Dean Brody), Joel Visentin (Barbra Lica), Bryden Baird (Feist) and Sean O’ Connor (NOJO). It is the first single from my upcoming album, “One Ray Of Light At A Time.”

A SHAREABLE MOBILE e(Empathy)CARD

I hope this song will encourage listeners to think of people in their life who could use some understanding and a helping hand. One way they can do that will be by sending “Feet In Your Shoes” with a customizable Mobile e(Empathy)Card to someone you want to let know you’re thinking of them and to offer up some love and support at www.davidleask.com/ecards

You can listen to “Feet In Your Shoes” at www.davidleask.com/feetinyourshoes

David Leask is a born song-chaser with seven critically-acclaimed albums and multiple international songwriting awards. He also loves to inspire other creators as a songwriting mentor and facilitator.