A Tiny Thorn – A World In Crisis
This week we had sun. Never have I appreciated sun as after I moved to where it rains 123.9 days a year. I decided to clear and plant flowers under the bird feeder outside of our front window. With so much rain the plants here grow so fast. Think Jumanji! Even though, just last year, that patch held a decent crop of cucumbers, it had filled in with ivy, ferns, Salal, and wild blackberry vines.
Although the area is relatively small, the task isn’t. I spent one day clearing out half of the wild plants and took 2 more days to let my back stop complaining. The next day on the project brought me to the blackberry vines. I do love to eat wild berries yet, ask anyone who has been anywhere near the plants and they’ll tell you to be very careful.
Each vine has endless tiny spines of death. Each leaf bottom would put a porcupine to shame. They grab on to skin, clothes, and any ankle as you walk or work. Often, they grab you at multiple points all at once and you have to stop moving lest you become more impaled. They grow anywhere and as their vines grow and touch the ground, they create new plants. Yes, I wear gloves and jeans. No, it doesn’t stop them. Long kitchen tongs help.
I waited another two days before starting the next step, turning the soil. Are we having fun yet? I’d like to tell you I’m done, and flowers are planted. I’d really like to…but I can’t. Maybe today.
I knew I had gotten poked with thorns multiple times but what I didn’t know was one was still in the tip of my finger. As the days passed it got harder and harder to ignore. Typing? Nope that wasn’t happening. And of course, every time I bumped into something with it…well…you know. So, I decided it was time to investigate…with a needle. Yay, more fun for Wendy. LOL Immediately after getting the offending splinter out, my finger felt better. It had a hole in it that was a little red but seriously better. Two days later and now it hurts again. Darn it!
This tiny thorn has been a serious bummer. As I was dealing with this relatively tiny (literally) problem, the world seemed to be imploding with righteous anger for some, hate and fear for others. I watched the news and felt deep sadness for the loss and the destruction. This on top of our lives being upturned by a pandemic of all things. My still sore finger is very insignificant compared to all of this.
It’s my passion and career to help others live their best lives. I’m also an introspective person. If this small thorn unknowingly embedded itself in my finger, how much more are the current traumas embedding themselves inside of each of us? These are not tiny thorns. They are devastating forces tearing apart our fragile worlds. The threads of normalcy are unraveling as we watch helplessly from our not feeling so safe now homes. We live in a world in crisis.
The effects of trauma can often be as stealth as the errant thorn. It is there, festering underneath and it will make itself known. How or when isn’t as clear. And unlike the thorn this situation has the potential to have devastating lifelong effects. I worry for all of us. Even though some of us are aware of the damage and do what we can to lessen the effects on ourselves, our relationships, our communities, and financial security, the majority don’t realize how the emotions and images they see are being embedded in their lives.
Self-Care has become as important as breathing. We all have to choose, on a daily basis, what we allow ourselves to think about, talk about, worry about, read, and who to talk to.
The time has come to treat our wounds before they fester. It’s time to acknowledge the fear, feelings of doubt, and the pain of loss. We’re grieving for the lives we had. The lives we understood.
How do you treat what you can’t see? As scientists are working on Antibody treatments for the virus, we can work on Anti-Fear, Anti-Stress, Anti-Hate, etc. Our cures will be HOPE, JOY, and LOVE. We need to increase the doses to counteract the disEASEs that are attacking our minds, bodies, and souls.
Follow-up treatments consists of routines, interacting with people we care about, animals, nature, beauty, and serious doses of compassion for ourselves and others.
Living a life of intentional Hope, Joy, and Love instead of reacting by what we can’t control is the answer. When we understand what we need to do, our paths becomes clearer, our steps surer, and our futures brighter.
