Our sweet little skittish Beagle Shiloh is walking with a slight limp this morning. Sometimes, like me, he does that after sleeping in an odd position. When the limp didn't go away on our morning walk I checked his little paw and found a tiny crack in one of his nails - a doggie hangnail. In addition to the limp has also been a bit more whiny than usual this morning, whimpering when someone leaves the room instead of only when someone leaves the house. He seems to be having one of those days.
Karlie was up in the middle of the night with an earache. It has been so long since anyone in our house has had ear pain that we have forgotten what to do. We tried drops. Didn't work. We tried Advil. Didn't work. We tried a heating pad and warm rice in a sock. Didn't work. Finally she fell asleep exhausted on the couch in our bedroom. We all slept fitfully after that, awakened much too soon to take Natalie and Nick to a drivers ed class at the high school.
Natalie and Nick woke up in foul moods. Teenagers and weekend mornings do not mix well. Tempers were short. The expectation of a Saturday and Sunday spent at school in class did not help their moods. Karen had a paper hanging over her head for the day. She is working on her gifted endorsement, so most weekends are spent at the computer or holed up in our bedroom with articles and text books.
It seems we all are suffering from annoying hangnails of one sort or another - whether physical or emotional, the result is still the same.
Why is it that the little things create the most annoying disturbances in our lives? I have no problem handling the huge crises that come along on occasion. But the little things, the slight headaches that come from forgetting to eat lunch, the stressful mornings that arrive because of not hearing the alarm, or the literal hangnails that seem to get in the way every time something is grabbed or touched - those are the most difficult to handle. It is the small annoyances that most often result in the stress in my life. Such hangnails are like ripples in a pond, they not only affect my mood, but end up affecting the moods of everyone I'm around. Such hangnails are not so annoying they demand constant attention. If that were the case I would put forth the extra effort to be kind. Such hangnails lie just below the surface, bubbling up in a shortened temper, a cutting remark, or a curt response.
The good thing about hangnails is they do not last long - a day, perhaps two and they heal. A bandaid can be a tremendous help. Bandaids are not just for major cuts, they help with the little things. I remember when Natalie and Nick were younger a properly applied bandaid could heal almost any ill. Yep, any ill. They were most magical when there was no visible injury. These, of course, were the trickiest to apply. The child would serve as the director, indicating the spot to apply the bandaid for the best healing affect. Once a bandaid or two was applied the tears would go away. Suddenly, instead of showing everyone the hurt, the bandaid was now proudly displayed for all to see. It became a trophy, turning a painful experience into a source of joy. Of course it helped if the bandaid portrayed images of favored super heroes or Disney characters!
Perhaps there is a lesson there for the rest of us who experience hangnail days. Perhaps we need to find a way to mute or cover the painful hangnail with something celebratory. Perhaps we need to learn to reward ourselves in some way, turning the painful, annoying experience into something to show off, calling positive attention to that which would seek to interrupt our otherwise good day with frustration. Perhaps we each need to discover the bandaid that works for us. For the real hangnails that occasionally pop up I too apply bandaids. Just like the kids, I prefer those that feature heroes, Disney characters (or princesses), or simply bright colors. For the emotional hangnails a warm latte from my fav coffee shop usually does the trick. If the hangnail pops up later in the day I will sometimes go out for a burger or some other culinary reward. On he worst of days, the Monday hangnails, a nice long brisk bike ride always heals and heals deeply.
What heals your hangnails?
The good thing about hangnails is they do not last long - a day, perhaps two and they heal. A bandaid can be a tremendous help. Bandaids are not just for major cuts, they help with the little things. I remember when Natalie and Nick were younger a properly applied bandaid could heal almost any ill. Yep, any ill. They were most magical when there was no visible injury. These, of course, were the trickiest to apply. The child would serve as the director, indicating the spot to apply the bandaid for the best healing affect. Once a bandaid or two was applied the tears would go away. Suddenly, instead of showing everyone the hurt, the bandaid was now proudly displayed for all to see. It became a trophy, turning a painful experience into a source of joy. Of course it helped if the bandaid portrayed images of favored super heroes or Disney characters!
Perhaps there is a lesson there for the rest of us who experience hangnail days. Perhaps we need to find a way to mute or cover the painful hangnail with something celebratory. Perhaps we need to learn to reward ourselves in some way, turning the painful, annoying experience into something to show off, calling positive attention to that which would seek to interrupt our otherwise good day with frustration. Perhaps we each need to discover the bandaid that works for us. For the real hangnails that occasionally pop up I too apply bandaids. Just like the kids, I prefer those that feature heroes, Disney characters (or princesses), or simply bright colors. For the emotional hangnails a warm latte from my fav coffee shop usually does the trick. If the hangnail pops up later in the day I will sometimes go out for a burger or some other culinary reward. On he worst of days, the Monday hangnails, a nice long brisk bike ride always heals and heals deeply.
What heals your hangnails?
No comments:
Post a Comment