Walking down some trails the other day,
I came across some poison ivy. By some, I mean a lot. As a kid I
was constantly getting rashes and would use ivy dry and calamine
lotion to attempt to soothe the burning itch of the three leaved
demon that bit me. I even had a bout that caused my eyes to swell closed and my face to deform. I remember walking around for
several weeks feeling like the elephant man.
For so many years I feared three leaved
plants. If I even thought I came in contact with one, I would wash
in an OCD manner. I'm not sure whether with age, fear subsides or
experience teaches but thirty odd years later, I walk through fields
of poison ivy and oak with no ill effect. I no longer fear but
admire the vines for their beauty and zest for survival.
