The Path of Life's Sorrows

The path of life's sorrows, we tread it every day,

With heavy hearts and weary souls,

we find our way.

Through darkness and despair,

we search for the light,

But often times it seems so far,

out of reach and out of sight.

Regrets and memories linger in our minds,

Reminding us of what once was,

and what we left behind.

But still,

we press on,

through the pain and through the loss,

Hoping that one day,

our feet will find a way across.

We long for hope and happiness, but they elude us still,

And all we feel is emptiness,

a feeling that we can't fill.

But even on the darkest night,

a glimmer of hope shines,

Guiding us through the sorrows,

helping us to find the lines.

So let us journey on,

my friends,

through the hardships and the tears,

For though the path may be rough,

it is the journey that we must bear.

For in the end,

we'll find the light, and all our sorrows will subside,

And we'll look back and realize,

it was worth the path of life's sorrows to abide.

Giving Advice is not Advisable

 

  As human beings, we are always ready to be helpful, telling around what to do or our personal stories about how we do something, and it turns out all right. So, by sharing our experiences, we advise friends and family on every occasion. It's second nature for some people to tell others what to do and choose even a simple scarf or dress. Darling green is your colour. You must wear green when you want to choose purple as we feel like wearing purple and that green 'advises' fill the wardrobe with three different greens. Life is full of bits of Advice or reviews about 'which school', 'what diet' or where to go and 'what to eat. Earlier, this Advice came from parents, friends, or dear old aunts in the neighbourhood, but now it is everywhere on social media or online shopping reviews. All this controls what we think, what we like, and who we are.  

I have one central theme in my training: a counsellor giving Advice is not ethical, "You are not there to give a solution; Your job is to be empathic and listen. You have to be genuine". The person sitting opposite the seat asks you 'what you think about it and what you must do. Pause and repeat, of course, in your head boundaries and ethics. And then, sorry, I am not here to tell you what to do. What do you think about it? There is always someone and something probing us as the therapist, pushing us sometimes to say something, but hardcore training makes it firm. All those long essays we write and all those books we read, our tutors and supervisors make every effort to peel that layer off from us, and we always say we are not here to tell you what to do. 

On the other hand, I am a person on the other side of the therapist's thoughts. I was feeling stressed, and I called everyone, and they told me I must see a therapist. They are trained and help you. My idea of therapy was for someone to give me a tailor-made solution or give me a pill, then everything became rosy, and my therapist asked me what I thought about it. 

No one ever asks me what I think. My parents told me not to do it, or my teacher asked, 'Why don't you do this in that way? ' Then society said this was the norm, and this was not. 

Ok, let me think … 

why my eyes are getting teary? What's wrong with me. Why am I crying about it? It's simple; just someone first time asks me what I think about it. It's not a big deal.

Why is the room so quiet… 

Why is my therapist not saying anything? Where is the clock? Is time up? Can I run without saying goodbye and never return? 

But … 

what about the solution I need. Who will help me … 

oh, it's me who has to help myself. Why did someone never tell me about it? Its simple answer is in me, which is what I think about my issues, not someone else. I sipped some water, looked up, and said I needed to slow down and guess what I wanted and what someone else told me to do. 

Therapist, you look so calm, as if you have discovered something. Would you like to talk about it? 

You just told me you must slow down. What do you mean by it… 

it seems you are beginning to be compassionate towards yourself. We are almost approaching the end. Why don't you tell me what you think of the self-care routine so you feel less stressed?