Avoidance...

I was recently in a dark room and there was a very small glow of light coming from behind me. I could see the reflection of light on the wall in front of me.

The reflection then disappeared.

It then reappeared.

This went on for a while.

You won’t be surprised to know the reason it was appearing and disappearing was due to me moving side to side and when my body obscured it, the light disappeared and then it was back again.

This isn’t magic or special in any way but it did make me think about the problems we carry, worries we hold on to and the weight others we know might be under and I was thinking of the phrase, ‘out of sight / out of mind’ and how much easier it can sometimes be not to engage with something if we are removed from it or if we choose to ignore or avoid it.

This also includes things like a debate or argument, where we might brush it under the carpet.

I am not here to say what is healthy or unhealthy and whether it’s a good thing to avoid things or not. At times it can be extremely beneficial to ignore things or to put it aside and at other times it may be disastrous to do this. We have to make decisions all the time and sometimes we’ll get them right and other times not as much.

The one thing I would say is there are times when things really do need to be managed and dealt with and ignoring it or pretending it’s not happening may not be the most helpful response and to bear in mind that other popular saying, ‘we can run, but we can’t hide’- eventually most things of significance will require some attention.

One further thing to add is to be mindful of others and their feelings and way of dealing with things. It could be that someone would really benefit from your support and if you’re response is that what’s happening doesn’t matter or to just ignore it – that may fine for you but quite hurtful and unsupportive to them.

You can place your hand in front of your eyes and no longer see this post, however it still exists…