Wednesday's Poetry Corner

Life's Scars

They say the world is round, and yet

I often think it square,

So many little hurts we get

From corners here and there.

But one great truth in life I've found,

While journeying to the West-

The only folks who really wound

Are those we love the best. 

The man you thoroughly despise

Can rouse your wrath, 'tis true;

Annoyance in your heart will rise

At things mere strangers do;

But those are only passing ills;

This rule all lives will prove;

The rankling wound which aches and thrills

Is dealt by hands we love. 

The choicest garb, the sweetest grace,

Are oft to strangers shown;

The careless mien, the frowning face,

Are given to our own.

We flatter those we scarcely know,

We please the fleeting guest,

And deal full many a thoughtless blow

To those who love us best. 

Love does not grow on every tree,

Nor true hearts yearly bloom.

Alas for those who only see

This cut across a tomb!

But, soon or late, the fact grows plain

To all through sorrow's test:

The only folks who give us pain

Are those we love the best.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

We all experience hurt in our lives. That's a given.  No one gets through this life unscathed.  And, while others  may cause us pain,  the pain that hurts us the most comes from the people we care for and love the most -- parent, child, sibling, spouse, etc--just as we, too, have hurt the ones we love the most.  These are the people we expect good things from, so when it happens, even the slightest hurtful thing or hurtful word, it hurts far worse than if the same had been done to us by an enemy. It doesn't have to have been intentional, but the hurt was there nonetheless.  (Sorry the poem was kind of depressing today, but I love Ella's works.  She writes from the heart.)

After a sleepless night, last night was a bit better.  I agree it is definitely age-related. It wasn't until I got older that sleep problems began to occur. I've always been a 'light' sleeper, and noises that others would sleep through, have always awakened me. Today, between the more frequent potty trips and pain from fibromyalgia and sciatica, I find myself waking up several times a night.  When I was younger, I used to be able to fall right back to sleep. I can't do that anymore.  Now, I can lay awake for hours before getting back to sleep, if ever. 

I stopped yesterday and stocked up on my melatonin.  The best sleep aid I ever used was L-tryptophan, but you can't get that over-the counter anymore.  I also found my Moonstone and placed it under my pillow.  

Before ending this post, I wanted to take some time to make you aware of  something I learned from Fox 5 news yesterday.  It seems there is a major bug out there that infects both Macs and PC's.  It's called the DNSChanger, and the FBI has been investigating for several years now. This malware has already made millions of dollars for the criminals who put it out there. Already six people have been arrested. What it does is redirect unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites, which, by the way, look like the real thing.  It also makes one's computer vulnerable to other types of malicious software.  This one is a biggie or I wouldn't even mention it.   In fact, it is so big that as of July 9th, if you have the bug on your computer, you will not be allowed to access the internet as per an FBI crackdown.  From what I read they got a court order to shut down the internet on all infected computers on that day.  Seems it will help them trace the culprits.  

Fortunately, there is a free  service available now that you can use to see if you have the bug and get rid of it.  The website is http://www.dcwg.org/   After July 9th it is going to cost money to get the virus remover. It's easy.  You just push a button and it will let you know.  You don't have to download anything.  Then, if you have the bug, there is an equally simple way of ridding yourself of it. I checked mine out, and my computer is safe.
Be sure to check yours.