Avoidance

"The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon.  We can only lie to ourselves for so long."

The above quote was a classic Meredith line, from the ending of an early episode in Grey's Anatomy's second season.

I treat avoidance mechanisms like a cocoon, and they're usually my first stop when I'm dealing with fear.  Whatever I can do to escape the ugly reality of life for a while.

Escape, I think, is a good thing.

It can offer a break and a chance to breath and rest.

My issue is this - too often I let escape become avoidance.

Because let's be honest, shall we?  It's far more pleasurable to avoid than to face the mess head on.

To pretend it simply doesn't exist.

And then, then that moment always comes when I realize that I'm in a cage, not a cocoon, and I've delayed the inevitable - the pain, yes, but also the healing.

I'm working on this pattern lately... aware of it again, and working on the courage to crawl out of that cage/cocoon and really face life, and when I heard that line as I was watching the old Grey's episode, I knew I had to share it.

My question is this - when does your cocoon become a cage that keeps you from something better?