Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Quit Scratching and Wear a Cone

Meet Bambi, our 11-year old sweetie Lab. She wasn't too happy here. She had an infected hot spot which made her feverish, threw off her balance, and made life miserable. To keep her from irritating the area, she had to wear this silly and clumsy cone. It was uncomfortable but it kept her from repeatedly scratching and licking the offending area. In a few days, she was back to her normal, energetic, and playful self.

What about us? Do we know when to wear a cone to keep us from scratching and licking the hot spots in our lives so they have time to heal?

It happens to us all. Well, maybe not all of us, but it certainly happens to me. And I know, for sure, that many of you can relate. What is the hot spot that you keep scratching and infecting?
Is it a home you might have lost due to financial hardship? Or the perfect job that was snatched away by lay offs? Maybe, it's a relationship that went bad. Whatever these hot spots are, we need to stop making them raw again by again by constantly revisiting them. Like Bambi, we need to wear a cone, leave them alone, so they can heal, and we can move on.
Granted that the spot had been cleaned out and an antiseptic has been applied; we've done all the denying, crying, angry ranting, what next. Sometimes, we need to wear the cone.
What is the cone you need to put on? It is different for all of us, but it is that object that may not feel natural to us. For isn't it more natural to scratch when we itch? Not the most beneficial thing to do; so we have to identify what will stop us from scratching that hot spot over and over again. Scratching would be the equivalent of revisiting those thoughts in our head and allowing ourselves to sink deeply into them so we feel bad all over again. These thoughts somehow give us some sick satisfaction for a few moments, but prolong the agony.
What is the cone you need to put on? It might be music that distracts us from those thoughts that reopens the hot spot. It may be new friends, a make-over, books, a pet, a new hobby, anything that will keep us away from revisiting the hot spot. When we feel like scratching, it's time to go for a jog, grab a comic book, talk to a funny friend.
It's too bad that life allows these hot spots on us. But it's even worse when we let them fester and allow them to infect and reinfect us because we keep scratching. Leave it alone. Yes, clean them out, get your meds and ointments, wear the cone. Sooner than you think, that annoyance and infection will soon go away. And you will be back to your playful, energetic, and happy self, just like Bambi.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well said!
I like the analogy.

B.