Do you remember Wilson? 8-20-2020

Joan has gifted us with her talented writings since Covid began on March 13.  This one will make you smile!

WILSON

by Joan,  a tenant at Oak Meadows

‘Up and down, backward and forward, comedy and tragedy!  Our life experiences are meant to lead us to new knowledge and movement forward”.  With all of this wisdom to draw from the quotes of saints and sinners before us, why are we always surprised when the ground shifts beneath our feet!?

When the big things in life are out of order and beyond my control, like this Pandemic, it seems that this is when the small things take on monumental significance out of proportion with reality. Two weeks ago, my flip-top cell phone died. Here I had handled a Pandemic with, I thought, my sanity and soul intact, only to find myself unbalanced and temporarily deranged by a phone!  Gradually I came to realize it wasn’t the phone’s demise that derailed me.

It was my growing dependency upon it to ease the pain of isolation from the “essential” people in my life. It wasn’t until I revived and used my landline phone to vent my frustrations, that I learned others knew from their own experience and offered sympathy and encouragement. How humbling to admit I allowed this phone to exert that much power over me!

This comparatively minor event has taught me, once again, how deep is my need for human connection not only for what friendship offers, but to learn to allow myself to be led out of my emotions into an objectivity necessary to stay open to life as each day opens to me.

Chaplain Carol’s Smiley Ball was well timed.  I bounced it and was reminded there is still enough bounce in me to move through life accepting all of its “ups and downs and in-betweens” When I looked back at the “happy face” I thought perhaps, there will be times I need sympathy. So, with pen in hand. I drew a half moon on the ball in the opposite direction.

I remembered Tom Hanks in the movie “Castaway”. Stranded on an island, he took a coconut and some cloth and named his imaginary Friend, “Wilson”.  He survived interacting with Wilson.  If it worked for him, I figure it will work for me.  

My ball’s name is “Wilson”. And when I’m happy he’s happy.  And when I’m frantic, or out of sorts with life, I turn Wilson over and imagine he’s sad with me.  Everything is calm now.  Wilson and I are “hangin’ out”. 

P.S.  Chaplain Carol gave everyone a “happy face” yellow stress ball last week.