Back when former U.S. President Bill Clinton was out on the campaign trail, he would cast his eyes down, press his lips together, and then say to his fellow Americans, “I feel your pain.” He masterfully played the empathy card and that may have been a contributing factor to his successful election in November 1992. I voted for him in ‘92 and ‘96, but I always felt that his “I feel your pain” shtick was kind of hokey.

I’ve always thought of myself to be a sympathetic person. Sympathy is largely used to convey commiseration, pity, or feelings of sorrow for someone else who is experiencing misfortune. I could feel sorry for people who find themselves in tough situations or who are suffering. Sympathy is acknowledging someone else’s pain. It’s what I felt toward individuals who are disabled or handicapped.

But I have now discovered the difference between sympathy and empathy. Empathy is the capacity or ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another, experiencing the pain, emotions, ideas, or opinions of that person. It’s choosing to not just acknowledge the pain, but to feel the pain with those in tough situations or who are suffering.

And now I can honestly say that I am experiencing true empathy, maybe for the first time in my life, for temporarily or permanently disabled people. Because now I am — temporarily I hope — disabled. I am handicapped. And now I feel your pain.