Under the Rocks

 Have you ever walked along the beach and started lifting up the rocks down by the water?  I remember doing that as a child and now I do it with my children.  It is incredible all the things that you find under there: crabs, sea worms, limpets, barnacles to name a few.  Sometimes my kids will pick up a crab in their hand and watch it run around.  Sometimes they make me pick up the crab because it feels too tickly in their hands. 

I know other people who don’t like turning over the rocks because of all the things they might find under there.  They don’t want to look at all the creepy crawlies, let alone feel them running around on their hand. 

At the risk of an obvious metaphor, this makes me think of my role as a therapist and the people who come to see me.  I think everyone has some apprehension about ‘looking under their rock’ to see what might be there.  I also think that lifting up that rock so someone else can see what’s under there can be even scarier.  Revealing those unattractive pieces of ourselves brings up all the thoughts of what someone else might find or think or judge about those parts.  All the more reason I have a great deal of respect for the people who brave those fearful feelings and come and see me anyway.  These folks realize pretty quickly that looking under the rock isn’t often as scary as they think it will be.  We might find some scary things – like painful past events or unhealthy behaviours - but they seem a lot less terrifying in the light.  And sometimes we find some exciting things – like skills or talents that have been sitting in the dark for a long time. 

Yes – crabs stay hidden under rocks for protection and survival.  That is often what we are trying to do – protect ourselves and survive.  Unlike crabs, we can’t live our lives in the sand hiding under rocks.  Living that way limits us.  We have so much to offer that the world can only see if we come out from under our rock.  It is a scary prospect.  And it takes courage and practice.  Sometimes we need to return under our rock for a spell to regroup and feel safe to explore again.  But we can never grow into the amazing people we can be if we spend our whole life under that rock. 

I invite you to take a risk and emerge from under your rock.  I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised by what you will find.