Hugging The Cactus: Facing The Pricks Of Our Past

Facing the Pricks of Our Past In the quiet, shadowed corners of our lives lurk the pricks of our past—sharp, poignant reminders of who we were, whom we've hurt, and who has wounded us. These pricks, varying in intensity and origin, weave the complex tapestry of our emotional and spiritual selves, marked by moments of pain, moments of awakening, and, often, moments we've yet to confront.

Facing these pricks—these undeniable, verified points of abuse, these justifiable yet painful relics—is not merely an exercise in self-reflection; it's an ominous, necessary task for those seeking freedom, emotional intelligence, and the capacity to be safe harbors in the tempests of others' lives.

Many of these pricks are versions of ourselves, some dealt with, others lurking in the underbrush of our consciousness, waiting for the light of awareness to expose them. They are the shadows of our actions and inactions, the echoes of words spoken in anger, carelessness, or ignorance. They are the remnants of the hurt we've endured at the hands of others, the unjustifiable made tangible in our memories and bodies, and the justified that still sear our hearts with their truth.