Troubled?

An old friend contacted me recently to see how I was doing, which I greatly appreciate.

And, buried within our (email) conversation lay this simple question...

"Are you troubled?"

I'm not even sure she meant it that way, but more likely used it as a figure of speech.

But, that one, three-word sentence stopped me dead in my tracks and really got me thinking.  And, more specifically that one word - troubled.

My response read something like this:

Troubled?  That's an interesting word, and I'm glad you made me think about it for a minute.  Thanks for that.

Certainly, a plethora of troubleS - surges, thorns, storms, embers - are subject to swirl and threaten any one of us at any space in time.  TroubleS? Sure.

But, troubleD?  Whew.  If you really think about it, troubled is an adjective - a word that describes or characterizes, envelopes, surrounds, and maybe even becomes one /noun/.  Penetrates.  Seeps.  Permeates.  Saturates.  Maybe even - dare I say - controls?  All these words began to crowd my mind and yes, trouble (verb) me!  They  - those guys - the splinters, debris, embers, waves (life's troubles) certainly have enough power to bruise, batter, prick, and tousle.  But permeate or penetrate the spirit?  Wow.  I hope not.  Otherwise, I'm in big trouble (noun) and so are alot of others!  Of course, this is all according to the Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Perspective According to Tina.  *chuckles*

So, knowing me, I don't need to tell you what I did next.....

trouble - noun -

A cause or source of distress, disturbance, or difficulty

Yes!  Yes, that's what I meant.

On the other hand:

troubled - adjective - 

uneasy, anxious, restless, worried, disturbed, 

beset (surrounded) by problems or conflict.

Just reading that makes me feel very h-e-a-v-y, and slightly claustrophobic.  You?

*sigh and whew*

Trust me, friends, it's not that I don't think despair holds a valid place in human emotion.

But more that I wonder how long one could sit in it before it seizes their soul.

Friends ~

May we not be troubled.
May our hearts remain pure and safe.
May the wings of our souls always be light.
May we be granted the strength and wisdom
to arise in spirit each and every new day.
And the unshakable confidence
to ride out the storms.