Poison Ivy

I promised myself I wouldn't scratch my legs. I had poison ivy all down the back of my thighs and each time I got into the shower I fought the urge to scratch my legs. I got the poison ivy helping my neighbor chase his cows, who got out in the middle of the night. I had come home after chasing the cows and taken a cold shower washing off with soap, but clearly had missed the backs of my thighs as that was the only place that I got poison ivy. 

I promised myself I wouldn’t scratch my legs. I promised. But…… I lied. It felt so good. If you have ever had poison ivy you will know what I am talking about. It felt amazing. I would scratch so hard I had open wounds that would bleed. I knew that it wasn’t good for my skin to scratch. I knew that it didn’t promote healing and yet I wouldn’t stop myself. 

Then, one morning I asked myself the hard question. Do you want your legs to heal or do you want the immediate pleasure of scratching that itch? The answer was a simple one once I asked myself the hard question. 

That was the last morning I scratched my legs in the shower. It didn’t mean that I didn’t have the urge, it was still there, but I wasn’t willing to give into it. I wanted healing more than I wanted the quick fix that a scratch could offer me. It is simple, really, scratching was actually harming me and was counterproductive even though it felt good. 

As you read this, ask yourself what your poison ivy is, and if you are done scratching it.