Sometimes, life gives us beetles...
It was the summer of 2008 when I took a bite out a plump, juicy mango. I was teaching at a school in rural India called Shanti Bhavan. I learned from my students to let it drip down your chin onto your toes. It had become my afternoon ritual. This time though, peering into the bright yellow interior, I was met with a surprise: a squirming beetle! Instinctually, I wanted to throw the mango and pretend I didn't just almost eat a beetle.
My expectation of the mango being sweet and pleasant, and instead, encountering something unexpected felt just like how life can be. We may have our hopes, dreams, maybe even goals, and are frequently met with something that just doesn't taste as sweet. Our initial reaction might be to get rid of it. Get rid of an awkward interaction, a truth about ourself we don't like, a conversation we don't want to have, a part of our body or mind we would rather live without.
But what about the beetle? Beetles are the complex, sometimes disconcerting concepts we grapple with in life. They broaden understanding of the world, they raise questions, they might bring uncertainty. They might make us uncomfortable. They help us see what is important. They pose ethical dilemmas. They encourage growth. Beetles cause us to think and feel.
You don't have to do it alone. The journey of counseling is to experience the safety of a therapeutic relationship in which to view your beetles with curiosity, compassion, and creativity. To see that you are capable of holding even the most difficult of life experiences. Today, I am a counselor, and I now get the honor of sitting alongside and offering support to individuals who are sorting through their life stories and looking for meaning.
My expectation of the mango being sweet and pleasant, and instead, encountering something unexpected felt just like how life can be. We may have our hopes, dreams, maybe even goals, and are frequently met with something that just doesn't taste as sweet. Our initial reaction might be to get rid of it. Get rid of an awkward interaction, a truth about ourself we don't like, a conversation we don't want to have, a part of our body or mind we would rather live without.
But what about the beetle? Beetles are the complex, sometimes disconcerting concepts we grapple with in life. They broaden understanding of the world, they raise questions, they might bring uncertainty. They might make us uncomfortable. They help us see what is important. They pose ethical dilemmas. They encourage growth. Beetles cause us to think and feel.
You don't have to do it alone. The journey of counseling is to experience the safety of a therapeutic relationship in which to view your beetles with curiosity, compassion, and creativity. To see that you are capable of holding even the most difficult of life experiences. Today, I am a counselor, and I now get the honor of sitting alongside and offering support to individuals who are sorting through their life stories and looking for meaning.
Michel Rauch/Alamy