How?
We Fly, of course!
"I say, how do you do it?" asked John, rubbing his knee. He was quite a practical boy.
"You just think Lovely and Wonderful thoughts," Peter explained, "and they lift you up in the air."
He showed them again.
"You're so nippy at it," John said, "couldn't you do it very slowly once?"
Peter did it both slowly and quickly. "I've got it now, Wendy!" cried John, but soon he found he had not. Not one of them could fly an inch, though even Michael was in words of two syllables, and Peter did not know A from Z.
Of course Peter had been trifling with them, for no one can fly unless the Fairy Dust has been blown on him. Fortunately, as we have mentioned, one of his hands was messy with it, and he blew some on each of them, with the most superb results.
I logged onto my Online Health Portal yesterday to update my email address. As I was browsing my Profile, I saw a Heart icon with a little Cross titled, "Problem List."
I had not realized that my Problems could be reduced so simply to a List:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Alcohol Dependence in Remission
Borderline Personality Disorder
Cannabis Dependence Uncomplicated
I turned to the DSM-5 (recently one of my favorite pieces of Literature) and discovered a little more about my "Problems." One in particular stood out.
A Severe Cannabis Use Disorder is defined as the presence of six or more symptoms out of eleven. I had six:
1. Taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was Intended.
2. A Persistent Desire or unsuccessful effort to cut down or Control Use.
3. Craving.
4. Continued Use despite knowledge of persistent or recurrent physical or psychological Problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by Use.
5. Tolerance.
6. Withdrawal
So. What's your Fairy Dust? A few Addictions may come to mind.
I suppose we all have Use Disorders, whether Mild (2-3 symptoms), Moderate (4-5 symptoms), or Severe (6 or more symptoms). It would make sense that the only people who don't have a Use Disorder are those with only 1 present symptom... a Craving.
Last week my therapist left me with a Parable:
"What was your Drink of Choice?"
"Oooo 6am room temperature gin straight out the bottle," I replied, remembering the piney taste and friendly tingle it left in my toes to start my day.
"Okay. So the world is a bar, and right in front of you is an open bottle of gin."
Tanqueray, please.
"Your friends and family are sitting around the bar with you, with their own Drink of Choice in hand. They seem to be having a good time, and Invite you to join them."
I was led to the book of James when praying about Christian Maturity. The book opens with James introducing himself and to whom he is writing - "To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations."
Doesn't the Church feel a bit...scattered? Divided?
He gets right down to business: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your Faith produces Perseverance. Let Perseverance finish its work so that you may be Mature and Complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4, NIV)
He goes on to say in Verse 13: "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are Dragged Away by their own evil Desire and enticed. Then, after Desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to Death."
Death has always fascinated me. At first, I was afraid of it until someone else told me that Death fascinated them, too. Death fascinates me because it is the ultimate Unanswered Question. Sure, it's scary; but what if we approach it with Curiosity?
In Part II, we will take a look at Death as the Ultimate Predator through the Symbolism behind a bloodthirsty Crocodile with a Ticking Clock in its belly.
I love this ......you are a good writer
ReplyDelete