TheBanyanTree: Heartstone

[Laura]

Tobie, this made me tear up a bit. Not because it hurt me, but because 
it made me feel good. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps there is a tiny 
piece of that shiny stone still cowering in the center of the carapace. 
Not that I'll ever take it out and show it around; it might get damaged 
again, so it will stay safe and hidden.

I'm always surprised when others say they've experienced the same or 
similar. I don't know why. I'm not shocked, just surprised. I used to 
think it was just me, that I somehow deserved it because I wasn't a good 
enough person. I threw that thought off decades ago, but still sometimes 
hear that tiny voice: "...if you hadn't done {whatever}, maybe they 
wouldn't have treated you like that..." at which point tiny voice gets 
slapped down and shut behind door number three.  I finally realized that 
it wasn't just me, that it was, apparently, the human condition. I think 
most people have suffered trauma at the hands of other people. People 
who have NOT suffered seem to be the rarity. And yes, Tom, it is sad. 
Social/legal/political are all the same thing, social. Legal and 
political are mirrors of the society in which they are composed.

Sad, but true.

Laura
wolfljsh at gmail.com

On 2/3/2022 2:27:59 PM, "tobie--- via TheBanyanTree" 
<thebanyantree at lists.remsset.com> wrote:

>That you survived all that is miraculous. I hear the insistence of the wounds inflicted. Over the years I’ve read what you write and I can’t believe that you’re all so hardened and dark at the center as you think. It’s just that the softer the center, the harder the carapace must be to protect it. You say you have your partner who loves you and has never betrayed you. He must see you clearly, more clearly than you see yourself. Trust his vision. You still shine through — bright, honest, kind.remsset.com/listinfo.cgi/thebanyantree-remsset.com <http://lists.remsset.com/listinfo.cgi/thebanyantree-remsset.com>