Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

Noveember 13, 2017

Connect to heal and rebuild.

After a recent natural disaster, someone shared this insight with me.  “Normally ants are incredibly organized.  Nice straight lines, each ant moving efficiently where it needs to go.  When you step on an ant hill, all that organization goes away as the ants start moving in all directions at once.  I always thought it was chaos but having just experienced this disaster, I don’t think it’s chaos anymore; I think it’s connection.  When disaster strikes there is an instinctive need to connect with others; through this connection, the healing and rebuilding starts.”  I don’t know if this idea is scientifically accurate related to ants but it reminds me of the importance of connection in recovery that allows for healing and rebuilding.

When has my life felt chaotic?  At those times, did I isolate or connect?  What gifts await me as I learn to connect with others when my life feels chaotic?