Stop Squeezing Cacti

In a world where I may equate unpleasant and unhelpful thoughts with cacti, there exists a remarkable piece of wisdom.

I needn’t engage with these cacti. I needn’t squeeze them and inflict undue pain upon myself. I can simply coexist in the presence of the cacti.

Some thoughts are undeniably unpleasant. Thoughts of self-doubt, thoughts of worry, thoughts of regret, and whatever else. They exist for a reason, and they shouldn’t be ignored. Even the unpleasant sides of the mind offer insight and a unique flavor of the human experience.

But I’ve learned to ask myself if they’re worth engaging with. In any given moment, I ask myself if they’re helpful.

If they’re not and they’re just causing me unnecessary disdain, I remind myself that I don’t have to squeeze and feel the pain of the spikes. Being used to squeezing these cacti almost reflexively, it can sort of be difficult to stop squeezing.

Nonetheless, I can indeed release my grip on each cactus and thereby release the preoccupation with whatever is on my mind.

In doing this, I let the cactus exist. I allow it to be, but I also allow myself to learn to be okay with its existence. And when I am okay with the cacti just being there, their painful spikes transform into parts of a beautiful garden.