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We have these thorns in our region called goat heads. They are nasty little suckers and anyone who’s ever stepped on one knows it’s 100 times worse than stepping on a Lego.
When one of my dogs steps on one, which is not uncommon, they stop walking and lift their paw up. And then they wait.
They don’t try to walk on. They don’t try to get it out themselves. They don’t feel bad for slowing down the pace. They lift their paw and wait for the goat head to be manually removed so we can move forward.
And I, their mom, take no greater pleasure than in removing the goat head from their soft paw pad.
And it reminds me of our mental health. When life happens, as it does, and we get pierced by an arrow of anxiety or shame, hurt or depression — What if we stopped moving along on autodrive and worked on pulling the arrow out of our chest? Or better yet, raise our hand and say I need help?
Not douse it with alcohol to numb it out for a couple hours.
Not ignore it and hope it goes away.
Not distract ourselves or try to out-busy the pain.
Not focus on who shot the arrow while blood drains from our body.
Can you imagine how much sooner we would return to equilibrium? It’s something I hope my kids grow to understand when they experience pain or suffering. That they can stop what they’re doing and focus on pulling out the arrow. That medication and tools are available to support them. And that they don’t have to face it alone — sometimes all they have to do is raise their hand and say “I need help.”
Mom will not always be there to pull out the arrow; to fix the problem. But I want them to know that there is no shame in speaking up when they are in pain. In fact, it’s the fastest and safest way home.
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