Thorn in my side…..

Stated by Pavelka, “…is absolute. What you think about, you bring about. If you focus on the bad, more bad will come, but if you focus on how you want things to be and you believe and picture it as though it is already here, it will turn up.”

This to me just sucks….it implies that I brought abuse into my life.  I did not. NO ONE ATTRACTS ABUSE.  Sadly, victims of abuse have behaviors that predators recognize which leaves them more vulnerable to more abuse.  So I tackled this problem.  Thought about and wrestled with this issue.  Then I realized the answer hung on my wall in high school.

We Can Complain Because Rose Bushes Have Thorns, or Rejoice Because Thorn Bushes Have Roses

Good and bad swirl around us everyday.  If we pay attention to the rotten things in life, we see more and more rotten things.  It doesn’t mean more exist, only that we notice more.  My photography work has many photos where by a slight change of what I focus on changes the whole picture.  Do I focus on the thorns or the roses?

For a long time I did shine the light of counseling on the dark underbelly of my life.  It was important for me to stop hiding and pretending childhood abuse did not happen.  It did happen and it still impacts me today.  I am learning to lessen that impact.