I was listening to one of my gardening podcasts while sewing, which I’m apt to do. The topic of the week was appropriate for this time of year when gardeners are yearning to dig their hands in that sweet, tangy winter composted dirt, ready to plant seeds ordered from the beautifully illustrated mail-in catalogues.
I was startled this morning by the hectic bird activity in my backyard when gazing out of my study window as I sipped my jasmine tea. Watching their intricate lives with all their glorious colors and personalities flitting in and out of the bare brittle winter branches was quite a show! When I say “startled,” I don’t mean frightened, but I mean “stopped in my tracks!”
With chronic disease, the one aflicted begins in the dark, fumbling through protracted bouts of insomnia, depression, and pain until finally a lab comes back or an endless infection is abated before a diagnosis is pronounced. Only after a faltering diagnosis does a vague clarity or validation dawn.
How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage? I have recently been challenged to do just that, not in a didactic confrontational way, but within a the confines of a painful conversation.Painful conversations are inevitable with people about whom we care the most. If we didn’t care so much, we wouldn’t bother to ache!
Similar to the way people become addicted to alcohol, drugs, or gambling, they may also become addicted to seeking retribution against their perceived enemies. It’s called “revenge addiction.”
Did you have an off-kilter Christmas too?
What a weird season this has been. No grandchildren clamoring through, no visitors dropping by, no glorious baking sprees, no in-person church Christmas celebrations. Yet, I still put up a few nativity scenes, the tree, and definitely the kids’ stockings. Everyone virtually greets us with a ‘stay safe” and “stay at home!”