Creating Recovery

What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?

~George Elliot

An invisible cloak is draped around my heart and nothing can get in. Nothing.

After years of practice in the art of self-preservation we sometimes overreact. At the slightest hint of a warm breeze—a smile, an expression of goodwill, a helping hand extended—we become rigid, impenetrable. This can have a negative effect on our relationships. We might even be accused us of being distant, arrogant or snobbish.

Despite appearances, we don’t necessarily believe we’re superior. Nor inferior. We simply feel a greater-than-average need to protect ourselves.

Closing off in situations of extreme stress is a way of coping. We harden in order to safeguard the most vulnerable parts of ourselves. That’s natural. But it’s not in our best interests to stay that way. When the moment or season has passed, it’s time to return to a more fluid state. Become receptive once again. Connect with others. And grow.

There is no need to hide from the sun. Melting does not mean meltdown. In this scene you are the tree, not the ice! A little warmth will do you good.

Come in from the cold.

My roots are tender but I am hardy, perennial, enduring. I can weather all seasons, including those of the heart. I welcome each in its turn.