Our Inner Wounds

It's early tuesday evening and I'm sitting in a circle with 12 other people. For the first few minutes we talk, shimmering the surface of the pool of wounds. This shared human experience gradually pulls us shoulder to shoulder into its grasp.

I look around the group, each person sits hunched forward, head bowed down. I speak slowly breaking the silence: "Perhaps, when you're ready, you could say your name, and what brings you here tonight". The woman opposite me begins "My name is Mary and I have breast cancer....I've had chemo and am feeling a bit better now....but something is missing". Everyone is still, listening and the class shuffles. Everyone knows how Mary feels. Mary relaxes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rupert is opposite me and he looks up. I make eye contact and Rupert begins: "My wife has left me, my children are upset and my work is stressing me, it's a mess". He sits still staring into the pool of memories and then gradually he reconnects with the room. We sit silent, each person remembering their hurt, the swirling water crashing round the shoreline of our hearts.

I don't have these problems, I don't have breast cancer and yet, I sometimes feel shame, I have imperfections and I worry about my kids. I know inside me that there is no real difference between them and me. We are all patients. Patients comes from the Latin word "Patiens". "Pati" where this word comes from, means to "undergo, endure, bear suffering". This is our common ground.

We reveal our wounds to each other and together we honour our common ground. We share our reality and we feel together strength and courage to continue. Together we can take advantage of our adversity and emerge transformed. We are all heros together.