Last week I was reading the book “Reading Lolita in Tehran”. It had some moments that I really enjoyed and a couple of things that really jumped out at me as important. One was this quote:
“Memories have ways of becoming independent of the reality they evoke. They can soften us against those we were deeply hurt by or they can make us resent those we once accepted and loved unconditionally.” – Reading Lolita in Teheran, Azar Nafisi
I thought was remarkably and wonderfully true.
The other thing that really jumped out at me was a comment about something called the Patient Stone. It’s a Persian idea of this stone that you pour all troubles into until it bursts.
As I read this I thought about how too often we serve as the “patient stone” for others, It’s no wonder that we eventually burst. We need to stop being everyone elses patient stone and find someone to share our own troubles.
Sometimes just absorbing everyone elses stress can create stress. Increased stress leads to a lowered immune system, which leads to increased illness. Or, in the case of someone with Fibro, it might just mean that it leads to more days in bed dealing with that stress. Stress you never should have had because it wasn’t yours to begin with.
If you must be a Patient Stone for others, then find someone to be your Patient Stone, someone to help absorb your pain and stress.
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