Tree

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
- Michael Jordan

Click Here For Success Tip # 079

 Computers taught me this principle.  A computer tech is met with so many different problems and with computers many times I would simply restart the computer.  More extreme measures I would wipe the hard drive and start over.  Humans can't simply wipe their hard drives and start over.  KavinCoach explained to me how truly messed up my childhood was.  I struggled with believing him.  When I finally believed him, I was devastated to see myself as this broken thing.  Fortunately, he didn't throw out glib cliches or minimize the challenges I faced.  The process of 'fixing' me was slow and painful.  After integration I realized, I still wasn't 'normal'.  The pain and suffering altered me.  Changed my point of view.  Twisted my thinking.  I struggled at accepting myself.

At the park close to my parents home, there stands a tree.  When I was young so was the tree.  It was growing tall and strong.  A bunch of kids crawled into its branches all at the same time.  There was an all might crack and kids tumbled out of the broken tree.  The trunk split.  Stunned, frightened, and terribly upset I and the other children thought we killed it.  The tree didn't die.  Over time the trunk healed but not straight and tall it was twisted and bent close to the ground.  It continued to grow and scar over where damage was done.  The leaves shiny green erupted all over in a spread out mess of a tree.  This tree became the best children's climbing tree.  Low to the ground strong and sturdy.  The branches became a safe harbor, an elf kingdom, or a green hideout.  The abuse the tree suffered was extreme.  The other children and I felt very sorry for what we had done.  That didn't put the tree back to the way it was before.  The abuse changed the tree.  However, the change enriched its value.  Too often I am ready to repair damage without thinking through if the alteration might be viewed as a blessing instead of problem.

Another view is from the Japanese that use gold to repair a broken bowl.  The crack is celebrated and enriched.  A few examples are at this link:
http://dicklehman.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/kintsugi-gold-repair-of-ceramic-faults-2/

Viewing myself differently, I believe that I need to climb it, go through it, work around it, recreate myself into a person the learns and grows through the tough times.