Question

“If there is something you see or sense as ‘broken,’ do you, without hesitation, try to ‘fix’ it– do you ‘surround’ it with healing– do you ‘watch and wait’ letting the universe play it out?”

Some will answer they do all three, moving quickly from one mode to another with all things coming into play. We who are “fixers” will rapidly move in to remedy the situation, which often consists of putting a “band-aid” on the broken item or soul, as it may be. But the heart says it is not “fixed” and the problem not solved. So we try to surround it with healing vibes, practical and long-lasting answers that will allow the brokenness to heal itself with a little guidance and compassion. Some things, however, are not remedied with either of the first two options and since the factor of the human heart, or the technology/intricacy of intertwined parts cannot be subject to “fixing,” the last option of watching and waiting for the natural forces of the universe to work it out becomes the most viable option of all. And why? Because of choice.

Two young girls stand washing dishes and drying them. The older of the two is in charge of washing and rinsing the dishes, the younger dries and puts them away. It is boring, mundane, and a chore to be done that neither enjoys. Self-absorbed silence surrounds each girl until the younger, in an effort to break the tedium states, “Two and two is five.” The older girl never looks up and says in a tired and bored voice, “No, it’s not. It’s four.” The retort comes, “It’s five.”

Now the older girl focuses on the younger one. “Don’t be stupid. It is four. Now shut up,” she says. The younger girl, realizing she has hit on something to break the silence, says once again, “It’s five.” The older girl now turns her full attention to the younger, still slowly drying dishes. The plate slips from her hand into the soapy dishwater and her voice gets louder, more strident. “EVERYONE knows two plus two is four. Are you an idiot? Four! Four!” A quiet, gleeful “Five,” comes from the lips of the younger girl. The tension mounts as eyes throw literal fireballs from the older girl to the younger one. A voice comes from somewhere, demanding quiet and that the dishes be done.

Quiet ensues with intense eye rolling, glaring, and the laughing eyes of the younger girl. Phase two begins. The older one trips the younger one to show prowess and power over the initial statement. Now the voice from somewhere is standing behind the two of them, breathing heavily over their heads. Fear of retaliation quiets the anger as each girl goes into survival mode. Obviously, the situation “fixed” itself.

The older girl had no desire to “fix” the misinformation spewed by the younger girl but put an end to it through superior knowledge, size, and age. She did not surround the younger girl with healing vibes but demeaned her, totally affronted by the obvious wrong conclusion of a math problem. But this wasn’t a math error–this was a problem that needed to be fixed (or so the older girl opined) and if she couldn’t “fix” it, she would wipe it out, so to speak. Neither worked, but the Universe stepped in and problem pretty much gone.

Now, the older girl has learned to jump in to fix things if possible. Then use kindness and compassion if that doesn’t work. Lastly, she will regretfully, step back and watch and wait, knowing there is little she can do because it is ultimately a matter of choice of the “broken” as to what will occur.

A rhetorical question, but one we woke up with wondering about. Do you carry band-aids around to try to help? Do you send out surrounding healing vibes? Or do you just watch and wait, trusting the Universe to provide whatever solution? Just asking. And by the way, the incident between the two girls happened over 60 years ago and yet is remembered vividly. That in itself has to be questioned, doesn’t it? Will that one ever be fixed? Shaking my head 🙂