Sometimes a problem stands before you and gives you the finger. You can’t pass it. You can’t wave it off like you do when others give you the finger, you have to confront it and demand to know why.

So you stand your ground and you shout “why?” You make your demands. You insist on knowing why it is that you are getting this shit when everything should be so right. Eventually the problem backs down and lets you pass but as you walk by you see the look on it’s face. The problem is smiling at you. It’s not a smile you welcome. It’s not a smile that says “well done, you’ve passed!” it’s a smile that says “just wait, you’ll see, this isn’t over!”

You carry on walking and know the problem is staying behind you. You turn and see it, waving to let you know it’s still there and in that split second of acknowledgement, the moment you see the wave you turn your head away from the problem and suddenly it’s not behind you any more, it’s stood in front of you again, telling you that you cannot pass until you sort it out.

You insist it’s sorted and that everything is fine but the problem knows the truth, it knows things aren’t fine, things aren’t great and it won’t go away until you admit it.

You carry on walking only this time the problem stays at your side. It talks to you constantly. Reminding you it’s there. You talk to it. You try and reassure it that everything is right and there is no need for it to stay around but for every answer you give it, it fires back another questions.

Turning, you look back down the road, you see signposts detailing decisions you’ve made in the past and pointing to junctions. You see other problems, lying by the side of the road, defeated, and you look back at the current problem and you know you can defeat it but the look on it’s face tells you that it’s going to be easy.

“I don’t need this!” you scream at it, “go away!”
“Screaming at me won’t make me go away. You need to sort me out!”

You carry on walking with this problem at your side until you come to a junction. You look left and the problem is bigger down that road. You look right and the problem is small but there are more of them. Which route do you take?

While you think about it, you sit down. Sitting down, taking a pause, gives you time to reflect. Time to think about the problem. Time sort it out. Time. Time is often all you need. Time can help and heal. Time can fix. Time gives you the opportunity reevaluate and assess what you need. And while sitting you get exactly what you need. While sat you realise that you’re dealing with the problem.

After time you look around and the problem has gone. You look left and right and see all the problems have gone.

On the breeze you hear a noise. It’s a voice. Vaguely familiar. You close your eyes to try and make out who it is or where it’s coming from and it’s then that the voice becomes clear.

“You’re not moving!” repeats a whispered voice.

Listening closer you finally work out the voice is your own. The problem has gone, now you need to move on.