HURT...

Whatever happens in life you should try not to get hurt wherever the journey takes you or hurt someone else. It is the most important thing to do no harm. However, hurt or not, there is always a way to take control of a situation. It requires that people take control of themselves and decide what needs to be done. And whether if it’s what is wanted, sometimes it is the only way that it can happen. to move ahead and live, truly live, you have to let go of something. There is a story I once heard from an older man. I believe it is a Native American legend. I'm uncertain of it's origin but I'll share it with you. In the story a man is forced to decide between two pack of wolves to feed. You see which ever type of wolves he feeds will continue to come back around. So there are the ones that will kill his herd eventually turning on him, or the ones that live on without a bother to him. In essence the man chooses to feed the kind of wolf he wants to stay with him. The story reflects the creatures we all have within us.You see there ones that feed on love, kindness and compassion. The others that feed on greed, hate and destruction. You can choose to continue to feed something that will ultimately destroy you, or you can choose to feed a different type of thing and let it grow into something else. This is an excerpt taken from one story in the series of women. I will not be sharing more here. Hint. Hint. enjoy. kisses. m.

Hurt.

High above, spiraling high above with the greatest of ease the girl on the flying trapeze misses her mark. Rian was always prepared with the knowledge of what may happen yet she knew a thousand and one different ways of knowing couldn’t have prevented the mistake. “You never know when you’ll falter only that it can happen.” Her Papa’s words run through her mind in a split second. Because when a “mistake” happens it comes without warn. Yet the eyes and ears below don’t see the flaw in her movements. Only the lines in her face see it happen as her hands react with purpose.

“Ouch that hurts” Papa says when Rian grabs for his arm. It’s a hard grab that she had not intended to make. Yet it had to be. An action that is clearly painful when she watches his face wince. As the wires tangle all around them mid-air try she tries to tell him “I didn’t mean to” as she only wanted to make sure that he was safe from harm. Unnecessary harm which is inexplicably her fault. Rian knew when she got the timing wrong. It happened just before Papa let go of his swing. In that moment she paused instead of acting.

Tangled and spinning they move off kilter and the “mistake” is hard to miss. The crowd below makes sounds that rise from the slow hum of a whisper to the rich echo of a deafening scream. Papa’s free arm swings recklessly resisting the new direction of movement as he slowly attempts to steady himself. Rian can feel the sensation of gravity shift in the pit of her stomach as they move without proper direction.  Slowly as the air whips through her hair, he spins around to pull himself against her small body.

Tugging, his hurt arm releases its hold and he pulls upward on her torso with a firm intention. Above, the swing propels a constant discarded motion. Dizzy and spinning Rian’s eyes water. She swallows hard against the tightness in her throat and remains firm in her grip. Papa’s weight shifts as his arms find their place next to hers on the swing. Once still, his breathing matches hers as they hang face to face.

The swing remains rocking when he says, “Hurt. I’m hurt.” Before whispering “it’s up to you” he tells Rian what needs to happen and promises not to let go. Despite her overwhelming fear of uncertainty Rian takes action. Carefully her feet step against Papa. One by one, her hands and feet move methodically. Pressing herself upward her tired arms shift to take a hold of the wires. Smooth and cold they glide through Rian’s fingers. Her efforts to climb the swing slow the momentum of motion. Once seated next to Papa’s grip, Rian knows exactly what needs to happen and how to make it happen. The skilled actions of her training slowly take over when she comes to this realization.

The movement and sounds provide the same distraction that is completely irrelevant when Rian takes a hold of the wires and the situation that a thousand and one ways couldn’t have prevented.