Macbeth: How does your patient, doctor?
Doctor: Not so sick, my lord, as she is troubled with thick-coming fancies that keep her from rest.
Macbeth: Cure her of that! Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with some sweet oblivious antidote cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon her heart.
Doctor: Therein the patient must minister to himself.
William Shakespeare
It would be unrealistic not to acknowledge that amongst all the gratitude, the reality of brokenness and struggle are underpinning themes of injury recovery. Healing of fractures is about as speedy as a 16th Century pavan.
Bystander:“How does your patient, doctor?”
Doctor: ”Not so sick as she is troubled with the magnanimity of the task of recovery. Not so sick as she is troubled with the disappointment of unrealized current and future opportunities. Not so sick as she is troubled with frustration bourne out of dependence on others. Not so sick as she is ……”
Bystander: Cure her of that! Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with some sweet oblivious antidote cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon her heart.
Doctor: Therein the patient must minister to herself.
In this physical malaise of loss and renewal, “the natural mystery of transformation” (Richard Rohr), occurs. If brokenness is indeed both loss and renewal, if “success and failure are truly the same side of the coin” (Rohr), this patient must certainly minister to herself.
Nature itself is a preacher presenting divine wisdom from the pulpit, or the doctor writing a prescription for “healing”. Firmly fixed to a stable core and fertile ground, the sunflower ministers to all who behold her. She turns with the sun, seeking energy, increasing her capacity for photosynthesis, growth and renewal. Her face is turned towards the sun. Following it, as the elixir for stability and sustainability. With each turn Apollo bathes her in sunlight, growing her, healing her; the shadows fall behind her.
There is no “sweet oblivious antidote” to “cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon MY heart”. Time, determination, attitude and patience are alone the antidote.
Not unlike the slow-growing of the sunflower, each turn of her head is akin to the achievement of a milestone in recovery; providing energy and growth for the next. So, the process of healing, one milestone after the other. Starting small; getting into bed without assistance, showering independently, moving up and down steps, carrying a cereal bowl or cup of coffee. Accumulating milestones, building strength, gaining momentum, focusing on the end goal. Transforming loss into renewal; ministering to oneself.
The sun does not shine every day. Some days it rains. Some days it’s stormy. Some days the fog hangs deeply and visibility is impaired. The sunflower stands firmly in the field, buffeted by the weather, nourished by the rain waiting for the sun to return. It always does. She turns her head, the shadows fall behind her and renewal continues.
