Tuesday, August 4, 2009

I’m feeling the need to reread, “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.” It’s a fun and interesting collection of case studies of a brain doctor. One story in the book speaks of a blind and disabled woman, who from birth couldn’t use her arms. There was no medical reason for it so the doctor set about changing her behavior, by challenging her. The only device he could use was her food. People serving her would deliver her food and then be called away and in her frustration to eat, she finally reached out and fed herself.

I am wondering why today I have been gifted with the memory of this story in this book--why today in the travails of my own life, has it come to my mind? I’m sure this doctor did not write this book to be a philosophical study of self-help and life change. So, why does my guide in today’s journey want me to sit with this question? (While I frantically cook, plan, pack, prepare and put away).

Am I this woman? What in my life has become too easy? Have I cultured habits that make me complacent and prevent me from reaching out to life? Do I need the “food challenge” to awake in me some great potential?

Am I this girl's early caregiver who must have succorred, cared and shielded her to her utter detriment. Am I preventing others from reaching out?

Or perhaps conversely, I am the doctor? What? There are several scenarios happening in different areas of my life that I can hold up and analyze and compare to this story.

The real end of the story is that the woman went on in her life to find joy in creating intricate and beautiful sculptures of life.

Hmmm, maybe that is what my creator wants me to think about today.

2 comments:

Lisa Chin said...

Perhaps he wanted you to share it with others so that we can see our own limitations and how we need to reach out and eat! Thanks for sharing.

Jane Babcock said...

I don't know why I didn't discover your blog earlier. I just failed to reach out I guess. I hope you don't mind me bookmarking it on my own blog to make it easier to get to.

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