Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

……..even my own mother accuses me quite frequently of having a nonchalant, fatalistic, “I don’t really care” attitude. Let me explain to you what it really is with me.

Definition: “An iron maiden is a torture device, consisting of an iron cabinet, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and torture or kill a person by piercing the body with sharp objects (such as knives, spikes or nails), while he or she is forced to remain standing.” - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ok, so let me explain. It’s not that I don’t care about anything. Truthfully, I actually care about a great deal of things. From what I’ve witnessed from other human beings, I actually think that as long as I care about more than just myself, I’m pretty much ahead of the curve. Earlier this today, I got my morning started by saying I was, “…..locked in an iron maiden with thousands of needles but.....it still hasn't pierced the weak spot I got.” The description courtesy of Wikipedia above should clarify exactly what an iron maiden is for those who didn’t know. Now, let me explain what I meant.

The iron maiden torture device is just a metaphor for what I’ve had to face in my life. At times, just because of circumstances, I haven’t felt completely free. Hardly ever felt like I was free to move around and do whatever I wanted to. That used to lead to me feeling stuck in place. On top of that, as if being stuck in one place wasn’t bad enough, I felt all kind of pressure coming from all sides and directions. There were always big problems but never anything that would kill me. But there was always something to make me bleed out slowly. It always felt like I was being tortured.

The reason I have the attitude and the will that I have is because, even after being trapped and tormented, I’m still here. I still haven’t lost myself and probably never will, no matter what is thrown at me. A thousand problems, a thousand needles, a thousand hurts and my spirit is still not broken. I have no fear of the Iron Maiden because it still hasn’t found a weak point that would break me. Life goes on. So yeah, I live life wearing a smile and a shrug on call anytime I need it.