Anger, it can motivate you, it can trip you up, or even kill you. Sometimes it is justified, but we are never justified to harbor it in our hearts. Anger comes from deep-seated hurt stuffed into the recesses of our soul, a soul that is meant to be free, free to express and shine forth the person we truly are from the inside out. I see hurt as that dirty closet somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of the house where we hoard all the negative and unkind words and deeds said and done over the years. They rapidly change appearance with every hurtful addition heaped onto the pile. The original article no longer has its own identity, merely an amalgamation of hideous words and deeds, fermented and putrefied over the ticking of time. The poisons of hurt and anger are subtle, taking their time over time to infiltrate and corrupt everything good and worth having in our lives. Life is seen through the poisonous cloud of our anger, causing our wounds to fester and callus. Every new event tears and reopens the old issue to make it today’s problem all over again. The vicious cycle continues until the door of the closet is about to come unhinged. I am on a journey of sorts to clean my closets. It is said that you don’t truly realize how much stuff you have until you go to move. So it is with the soul of man. Attempt to make an internal move forward, and see just how much junk falls on you when you open that cluttered old closet. The good thing about having the contents hit you right between the eyes is that you are forced to deal with them head-on. Plus once exposed to the light, they are no longer as dark and fearful. We all have issues that we harbor within, be honest as you muster up the courage to look. Forgive the person that hurt you long ago or just yesterday. Refuse to allow that junk to clutter your closet one day more. You will find in time, that the once dark spaces will be bathed in the light of peace. Make no mistake, the process is difficult and quite painful at times. It’s not easy to find that balance of forgiving and forgetting. Clara Barton, Founder of the Red Cross was once approached by a friend that reminded her of a cruel incident that had happened years before. “Don’t you remember the wrong that was done?” said the friend. “No,” Clara said matter of factly, “I distinctly remember forgetting about that.” Barton was able to accomplish great things in her life because she refused to carry the exhausting burden of hurt, anger, and resentment around like a knapsack full of bricks. That is the lesson for you and me, let it go, forgive yourself and others, and live in peace with others whenever possible. At the end of the day, true freedom (like a dream) starts from within. We’ll all be better at it!
