i caught a cactus today

I caught a cactus today, and as the pain shot through my left hand, I was instantly reminded that sometimes it is OK to let things hit the ground and land where they may.

I caught it because my instinct was to keep things tidy, and I didn’t want the soil to make a mess as it landed on the floor. I didn’t consider the awful pain that would follow.

We can approach life this way too, sweeping up the hurt and burying it where it needs to be, out of sight, out of reach, not realising how much time we will later spend picking out the spines that have become deeply embedded in us.