I've been volunteering at Children's Hospital for years. Sometimes you see some really neat stuff, really great stories. I mostly work with older kids, 5-17, drawing cartoons and clowning around with them. I try to make them forget they're in a hospital at least for a little while.
Last time was a downer. This sweet, sweet baby... Her face lit up whenever someone new would come in the room. She rarely cries, loves everyone, and everyone loves her. A rare kid, and I've seen so, so many over the years. Bright eyed, she coos and plays with everyone and everything within reach. She's there because someone hurt her, bad. She'll never walk, but still she trusts everyone around her.
Life sure seems like the continual job of discovering what and who to trust. To continue to love despite the betrayals is a really hard lesson, and seems to get harder the older one gets. Or perhaps the scars just accumulate.
Last time was a downer. This sweet, sweet baby... Her face lit up whenever someone new would come in the room. She rarely cries, loves everyone, and everyone loves her. A rare kid, and I've seen so, so many over the years. Bright eyed, she coos and plays with everyone and everything within reach. She's there because someone hurt her, bad. She'll never walk, but still she trusts everyone around her.
Life sure seems like the continual job of discovering what and who to trust. To continue to love despite the betrayals is a really hard lesson, and seems to get harder the older one gets. Or perhaps the scars just accumulate.
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Life sure seems like the continual job of discovering what and who to trust. To continue to love despite the betrayals is a really hard lesson, and seems to get harder the older one gets. Or perhaps the scars just accumulate.
I don't know, I think that you can also cull the wheat from the chaff with your loved ones, and find people worthy of your trust. A wise man once told me, "life comes down to who you choose to hang around with." But a lot of us who are traumatized at some level just become hyper-sensitive and set unrealistic boundaries for our loved ones. I mean, lies are lies, and bad is bad, but the small ways in which otherwise loving people neglect us aren't worth sweating. That's my $.02. For me, getting myself to a place where I felt self-sufficient meant that I didn't really *need* things from others, and therefore wasn't as vulnerable to hurt/rejection.
Re: the little sweetie, it must be heart-rending. I can imagine the rush of protectiveness and care you must feel. She's a strong, powerful little soul with lots to teach.