I went to Washington DC last summer for work. It was the first time that I had been in a major airport in years. I was shuffling bags, and trying to keep my kids in tow, and watching as everyone was rushing from gate to gate. Sometimes you would see people trip over their bags or another person's bag; and there would be this dance to get around all of this baggage!
This is how I see trauma. We are all hurriedly moving throughout our day, from one station to another, but the suitcase dance is still happening we just don't always see the hazards. We all cart this little suitcase around behind us. It is the culmination of all our experiences, both good and bad, and holds all of our tools and coping mechanisms.
Sometimes our suitcase gets hung up on a bump in the road, and it pulls us back and can even impact our whole outlook for the day. This bump stops us from moving forward and we have to navigate around the disruption in our daily routine.
Perhaps, we trip over someone's suitcase in our rush. We didn't expect to come upon them, crying over all of the contents that have spilled out on to the sidewalk. We are busy trying to navigate the crowded streets, but here they are...needing some sort of intervention.
Or maybe it's that intentional interaction that we are having with someone. You are simply trying to point out their behavior mistakes, and you don't notice that the zipper on their suitcase is about to give way. Then all of a sudden BOOM, everything comes flying out and you are dealing with a reaction that you were not prepared for. This might cause your own suitcase to squeak under the building pressure, or maybe it causes you to take your suitcase and run.
Whatever the dynamics of the suitcase or the scenario we find ourselves in, the process is still happening. When we deal with others you have to intentionally consider that they are bringing more to that interaction than just themselves, and so are you. When we become aware of what is packed inside our suitcase we can be better at making sure it's packed appropriately for the world we are dealing with. We can learn to sort and repack our suitcase, preparing for the adventures ahead, instead of just stuffing everything in there and hoping that the zipper doesn't give out!
Happy and safe travels!
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