Obstacles

Do you ever feel like your house is haunted? Oh no, not by ghosts…but, your unconscious? What I mean is, we are so caught up in an action or thought that we are not giving our full attention to the environment around us. Earlier this year, there were a couple of obstacles that I had to overcome, in the place where I should be the most comfortable.

I had my first accident in my house the week after the shutdown due to COVID-19 in March. I was going down the basement stairs, like I do every day to do laundry. Then, I slipped. I reached back to catch myself and immediately recoiled, thinking, “I will make this worse.” So, I slid down two, maybe three stairs. I skinned up an ankle, ended up with a few bruises, and overextended my left shoulder. I just sat and cried for a minute because I was overwhelmed at that moment. My four year old came to try and help to say, “Hey, Mommy hurt her arm!” No one else came, so I ended up calling my husband. Luckily, my phone was in my pocket. I was not crying because I was in pain, although it did hurt.

I was crying because I had reached my limit of holding it together.

I was crying because I could not use my arm for the rest of the day.

I did not need this.

I did not have time for this.

I was mad at myself for not being more careful.  

My second accident happened in October. I was trying to catch my youngest who did not want to get on his morning virtual meeting. He was running circles around the couch and I tried to ninja warrior over one to cut him off. Just imagine when Buzz Lightyear jumps, thinking he can fly out the window and falls to the bottom of the stairs instead. My jump felt like I was in slow motion, imagining making it over the couch. However, the couch was a hurdle that I could not jump over and jammed my toe. Over a month later and my toe still hurts at times…

These were just a few obstacles I had to overcome during this “lockdown.” I do not feel my experiences are anywhere near those of others. There are people who are struggling to pay rent, buy food, or battling depression.

We are all struggling in some way or another, whether clearly visible or strategically hidden.  There are many obstacles that we have had to overcome, whether physical or mental.

Let’s be kind to one another and let us use this time to come together for each other.