Life

There was a man who had a beautiful fruit orchard which he loved a great deal. He spent hours pruning and caring for his fruit trees, enjoying the harvest at the end of each season. In late winter, or what some may even consider the very earliest part of spring the man would enter his beloved orchard with a baseball bat in hand. He would size up each tree, and with the precision of Babe Ruth hitting a baseball out of the park would hit each tree. Beating a tree? What is the logic behind this behavior? The man explained beating his fruit trees put the trees under stress which in the long run produced stronger trees and better fruit. How often do we feel like the tree, and life feels a like the man with the baseball bat coming at us, relentlessly hurling blows we are unprepared to absorb? We cannot control what comes into our lives or even the emotions that are the result of events. But we can change how we relate to those events. That sounds easy enough, but trying to align our logical thoughts with unpredictable emotions can be difficult. Difficult, not impossible. Because life is constant it is important to remember to be kind to yourself. Take time to do things you enjoy. Self care is not selfish. Remember to breathe. That sounds funny, but when a person gets stressed out often breathing becomes short and rapid. Deep breathing promotes good health. Accepting that life is hard can be helpful. A line from Victor Hugo in Les Miserables states “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” Submitted by Melanie Holt, LAPC. To schedule an appointment call her at 801.718.9840.