Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

11 Comments

  1. anonymous person says:

    This reminds me of how I’d have trouble finding my shoes each day before school. My parents would criticize me for not taking them off in the same place every day, or for not taking them off together, or for leaving them in the middle of the hallway. That was until they discovered that our cat likes to carry my shoes around, as if they were kittens. That cat is quite amusing, she’s even dragged my brother’s heavy boots up a full flight of stairs.

  2. “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it” or something like that. Dwelling in the past is very unhealthy, but trying to wipe it out altogether is also unhealthy.

    1. anonymous person says:

      I like the comedic version of that saying, “those who forget the pasta are doomed to reheat it.”

  3. Cheri, Just learning that I fit the profile of MSTM is freeing me from some past stuff and helping me to change my present. Last week I was put into a situation that overwhelmed me. This time, instead of telling myself the old script, I thought, ‘Oh right, you are caught off guard and feel unprotected and overwhelmed. Breathe.’ Within a minute or so, I was able to make a decision that has a satisfying conclusion. I’m encouraged for the future!

    Garage doors: our one door seem to be open at random times and I couldn’t understand it. One day I was home when it happened. I thought someone might be using some radio frequency device to open doors. A call to the repair company informed us that it was the door – it had been designed to open itself before going into total failure mode!

    1. Elaine — So now you have this MSTM in tears — SO glad to hear you’re finding freedom with new knowledge! And treating yourself with care and understanding. Isn’t it amazing how just a little bit of regrouping can help?

      And I had no idea that garage doors were designed to fail in the open position, but it makes perfect sense — that way nobody gets trapped inside! There’s a lesson in there somewhere…;-)

  4. Thank you so much Cheri for bringing up this topic! Today I struggled a lot with this topic! And I got stuck really for a long time thinking, Why can’t I accomplish what I was doing. And before I read your your message I had concluded,'” So I am like my Mom! Now I am happy I can really change as a person! I don’t have to settle with, ” So I am like my Mom.” I can change things around and be who I want to be by learning new ideas or different ways of doing things. Thanks once again. God bless you for bringing that topic up! You were God send!

    1. Esther — Love God’s timing! I’ve got dozens of other partially-written blog posts, but this one popped into my head over the weekend and demanded to be published today! 🙂 And I totally get the “So I am like my Mom” message. I’m learning to expand on that message: “In some ways, I am like my Mom. And I’m also …”

  5. Your premise is what helps people who suffer from PTSD. Changing what happened in the past to a positive so it no longer haunts them. The process of EMDR uses the same assistance in helping people free themselves of their past, too from what I understand.
    My faith in God helps me cope with my past as God uses my undesirable choices to comfort, encourage, and bring hope to others.
    Both my husband and I have left our garage door open at night or during the day when we are gone and we don’t own a cat! LOL Good illustration, Cheri!

    1. Sharon — I don’t know much about PTSD, but now you’ve got me curious! I’m wondering if it’s related to “learned helplessness” in the sense that the person is stuck in a single interpretation that feels personal, pervasive, and permanent? LOL re: leaving your garage door open! Can’t always blame the cat, unfortunately! (And now that our kids are away at college, we’re discovering that many things we used to blame on them are still happening!)

  6. Lindsey — I hadn’t thought of it in terms of “redeeming” the past, but that’s the perfect word for it! I feel another blog post brewing… 😉