Monday, October 12, 2015

Bandaids

Evening falls and the air is crisp as I pull into my garage after a productive day.  I am nonetheless very happy to be home and it feels good as I walk into my home.
As my day bag is set down, and my keys hit the top of my dresser, I can hear the faint sounds of my daughter.   I follow the sound and it leads downstairs to her bedroom.  As I make my way into her room I find her crying and holding her hands cupped and close to her chest.  Alarmed, I rush to her side and sit on her bed and begin to stroke her hair.   "What's wrong sweetie?"
Her reply comes as she holds out her hands..."I fell off my bike."  I take her hands softly in mine, and inspect them as I see that she has covered her wounds in bandaids.  I ask her what happened, and as I hold her hands in mine, I can see that there is still dirt and grime on her hands.  After listening to the mishap and how and where she fell, I ask her... "Sweetie, did you wash your hands and put anything on your cuts before you put on bandaids?"  Her reply can timidly in that she hadn't thought of it.
Parents...you know what's coming next.  Although she did a good job in putting on bandaids, she needed to treat the wound properly before the protective covers of bandaids should have been placed.
The next part not only hurt her, but hurt me too as I removed the bandaids only to find little rocks and dirt still inside her cuts.  She cried and faced the task with bravery and courage in seeing why this was necessary.   Allowing someone that loves her dearly to open the covered up wounds, clean them out, apply Neosporin, and then cover them again.  If left untreated, the wounds never can heal properly, and the rocks and dirt left inside have far more damaging affects.  Applying the bandages again after cleaning her wounds, she healed up nicely and was back on her bike in no time.

A parent can do this with his/her child and take ahold of the situation and, with tender caring wisdom,  treat the wounds of a child so they can heal properly... I wonder how this can be done as adults!!!

The emotional cuts and deep wounds that we all experience in our lives, DO cut deeply and have such lasting affects throughout the rest of our lives if they're left untreated.
I see this SO much as I encounter people from across the world, and I also have seen it in my very close circle of friends and loved ones.

When people trust me with information about their deepest cuts, I find that these wounds have never been treated, but only covered up with the bandaids of life.  I also find that most haven't ever learned basic skills of how to treat emotional wounds and/or cuts.  Only told to ignore them, cover them up with something that will alter the emotional pain, and eventually they'll go away.

If you've ever heard of the book, "Feelings buried alive never die", then now you have!  I can't say it better than the title of this book explains.  When we bury our feelings and wounds, before looking at them, understanding them, and forgiving ourselves or others before moving on, then they WILL haunt us for the rest of our lives.

There are some pretty cool bandaids out there!  Work, substances, we can always ignore and pretend, trips and getting out of dodge to simply avoid looking at things!  Out of sight out of mind...  Whichever bandaid is your preference, please remember it is still only a bandaid, and will only cover up the real issue.

When we dangerously involve ourselves with someone else and quickly "moving on"... Anger is the typical emotion that will surface often if our wounds go untreated.  Things that happened to us as children sometimes haunt us so deeply and we carry those experiences for so long.  What great lengths we will go to in order to NOT face things inside ourselves!  We will blame others and be angry with them and try to defer the attention away from our wounds and quickly point out the flaws of other!
Truly, its US that needs to be examined.  That takes extra courage and bravery!  That takes us to stop, admit there is some cleanup work to be done, and then SHOW UP for on a consistent basis with a professional that CAN help clean the wounds.  This requires you to open up the doors, pull back the curtain, and truly allow someone else to see inside.  I 100% believe that until we can pull back your our curtains and see whats inside of ourselves and see things for how they truly are, then we will NEVER be able to connect with someone else and truly learn intimacy.  Intimacy... is to open up and be vulnerable.  "Intimacy"   =   "Into-Me-See"...

We must start with looking inside ourselves, cleaning up the wounds and cuts from so so long ago, accepting and loving ourselves, and letting go of shame or blame.  Unless this can happen, then we won't ever truly and fully be able to share ourselves with another.  We are too hidden and afraid to pull back the bandaids.  Too afraid that others won't love and accept us if they truly see us, because we don't even love and accept ourselves!  How could others love and accept us when we don't even love or accept ourselves?  Finding ways out, fault finding and blaming, fighting without any real cause, and never allowing anyone close enough to really see deep enough...this will be our fate unless we can take off the bandaids, clean up the wounds, and heal properly.  I recommend finding a professional counselor that you click with...that gets your vibe!  Prepare yourself for a journey!  Heavy lifting is ahead of you and most people really aren't up for it!  Never will be!  The bandaids are too easy to put on to cover up the wounds.  Dismissing the reality of what those deeply imbedded rocks will eventually do to your heart and soul.

This HAS to be a choice that someone makes.  I have learned that looking inside is not something one can sell or coerce another to do as a favor.  It HAS to be a choice if true healing is to occur!

As a parent, we can take our child and almost force children to remove the physical bandaids so we can clean their physical wounds... However, adults have to choose on their own to remove those emotional bandaids, and do the work for themselves, which in turn WILL help serve those around them by virtue of having a much more awake and whole YOU!

Don't be afraid... Have faith!

My Mother use to say:

"We must all be in the pursuit of Self-Mastery.  It is a lifelong pursuit"
Javice H. Davis

#prayers









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