Little children bring so much beauty into the world. They’re so full of life, energy, wonder, and can be so fearless. Recently, I was able to visit my family and got to spend a little alone time with my 3-year-old granddaughter. One minute she was sitting on the couch, and then—like a flash of lightning—she jumped up on it and decided to catapult over the side. There was no way I had time to stop her. In that moment, I was full of fear, and she was fear-less. I thought back over the years and some of the things that my own kids did (like sliding down a steep flight of stairs in a clothes basket) and wondered how they had survived. As adults we think about how they could break a bone, knock out their teeth or worse. Thankfully, in this case, my little granddaughter’s only wound was a short-lived bloody nose—but the fear from the experience lasted longer for us both.

Speaking of fear: on my walk today a lizard and I both felt fear. Neither of us saw the other coming until we basically ran into each other. I gasped, and it scurried to find a place to hide; both of us quite relieved that I hadn’t stepped on it. Did you know that had I actually walked on it, and smashed part (or all) of its tail, it would’ve survived by regenerating its own tail? It’s true!

We, too, have survived a lot to get this far in our lives. However, in the process of surviving our woundedness, we often lose the beautiful essence of our inner child. The wounds we carry as adults usually run deep, penetrating heart and soul, and go far beyond surviving a bloody nose. Debilitating wounds can show up in physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual areas of our lives. Yet, like the lizard we can recover!

In recovery, we seek healing support in multiple forms. We learn to adapt and become resilient. We change and transform as we shed some of the old stories and drop false beliefs. We become more present and begin to get back the beauty of childlike wonder, life force energy, and fearlessness. Then, we awaken to the fact that—like a lizard—our regenerated beautiful parts are evidence that we’ve “grown our tails” back too!

Cheri Thomas

Cheri works as a Peer Support Specialist for RI in Arizona. She has experienced loss and grief which has led her to write for the masses to bring voice to those in similar situations. Cheri possesses a deep passion to share with, encourage, and inspire others on what she calls the Journey of the Heart.