Irritations

Irritations

"I went to the hill and I got it.
I sat on a knoll and I sought it.
And if I would get it, I would leave it.
Since I did not get it, I took it with me.
[A thorn in the foot.]
    ____ Scots Gaelic riddle

    There is no surefire way to avoid irritations, no magic formula that will ease them out of our way. They arrive without warning to plague us, and we have to get on and deal with them. Some of the tiresomeness can be alleviated, however,iIf we see many of our irritations as reminders of neglected areas of our live.  The laws of cause and effect set in train a whole series of actions; similarly, undone actions have effects upon our lives. The things we neglect return to plague us: from the overdue car service, to the dental examination we keep meaning to have; from our failure to reply to an important letter, to the long silence we have meted out to a close relative. Breakdowns, aching jaws, lost opportunities, aggrieved friends, and irate family members suddenly loom large in our schedule, nearly overturning everything we had planned.

   The universe has its own way of getting our attention and making us attend to what is important. Sometimes little irritations that go untended become larger ones. A thorn in the foot can be removed, but if gangrene sets in, the whole leg may have to be removed. The little irritations may bite and worry us, but they certainly do not take kindly to compromise or neglect.

"Review the irritations that you have currently; trace back their root cause, where possible, and find any connections between your negligence and their arrival. Act swiftly and appropriately if particular irritations seem to recur frequently."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]