Right after it happened I grabbed my tweezers and pulled it out. At least I thought I pulled it out. The next few days I realized there had to still be a splinter in my foot because anytime I put pressure on my foot it was uncomfortable.
But, guess what? I got busy and never did anything about it. It was uncomfortable, but life could still go on. Babies needed booties wiped. Kids needed to be fed. Duty called, and not for a splinter.
A few more days went by and I realized I was walking on the side of my foot to avoid putting pressure on it. That little splinter had become more and more painful with each step. Since I was having to alter the way I walked, I took the time to try and deal with that inconvenient little splinter. Problem was, new skin had already grown over it. It was going to take some work and time.
I tried almost every Pinterest how to on getting out a splinter. I think some of the remedies helped, but really it was probably the large sterilized needle I had to use to break the skin. Yeah, doctoring myself. Not something I suggest unless getting yourself to the doctor takes an act of Congress for you to be able to go.
I digress.
Once the skin soften and I picked away at the new skin...and pinched...and poked....and dug...and pushed, I was able to grab the tip of the miniscule splinter and pull it out. That thing was the size of tick's leg. Seriously, how could something so little cause me to alter the way I walk for days on end?
If I had just dealt with it right from the git go, then I could have avoided all that pain. Instead, I took what I thought was going to be the easier route. Just act like it wasn't there and it would stop hurting. Brilliant idea, Amanda.
This only happened once to my foot, but guess what? This happens often in my regular life. How many times have I walked differently because I refused to remove the unnecessary elements in my life? How many times did I think, "It doesn't hurt that bad. I can deal with this. It will go away."
Only it doesn't. Not only does it not go away, but it gets bigger and hairier and nastier. Then, I have to deal with the issue when it is bigger, hairier, and nastier. It takes more work to fix than if I just took care of it from the beginning.
It so reminds me of our spirited Chubby Cheekers. Man, he is a passionate kid. He loves, but he also has a very clear picture of how things should go. Most of the time it is in the opposite direction of where Steven and I think he should go. Being that I birthed that little boy, he gets to submit to me. And, given that Steven is the man of the house, Chubby Cheekers gets to submit to him too. It's a wonderful time. So wonderful that sometimes, I think it would be easier to give into his little desires and tantrums and fits. Seems like a good idea until those tantrums and fits get bigger and hairier and nastier. Then I think, "This would have been SO much easier if I would have taken care of it when it was small and seemingly insignificant."
Am I the only one going through this here? Maybe it's not your spirited child, but I can replay countless scenarios in my life where nippin' it in the bud would have been the path of least resistance. Removing the unnecessary keeps me from pain. It keeps me in line with where God is taking me. I know I shouldn't fight it, but gosh darn it, I sometimes do.
Even though the splinter in my foot wasn't pleasant, it sure brought about a lot of revelations to my life. I hope it helps you too. At the very least, if you get a splinter you should definitely take care of it pronto!
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