Prickly Pear People

Ouch! Time to cut back my Prickly Pear Cacti. When I do, I’ll use tongs to remove the pads. I’ll slip a pair of leather gloves over my regular garden gloves to provide as much insulation from the thorns as possible. The barbed spines on the flat stems are sharp and stick to everything. Once the hair-like bristles prick my skin, they are difficult to remove.

In my life, I have found dealing with difficult people similar to cutting back my cacti. When I establish healthy emotional and spiritual boundaries between me and them, like the boundaries of clothing between me and the cacti, our interactions can be pleasant. Their words and comments can be as sharp as the barbed bristles of the cacti. By setting boundaries, I can identify which of the prickly pear person’s behaviors are healthy and which are thorny, and prevent them from determining my emotions.

The Prickly Pear Cactus is a plant. It has thorns. That’s what it is. Some prickly pear people aren’t pleasant. Some aren’t even nice. With both, I have to remember not to take it personally. I can step back and separate the behavior from the person. I can think before I react. When I emotionally distance myself from their actions, I can avoid being pricked by their thorns.

Even though a prickly pear has thorns, it also has beautiful flowers. Prickly pear people are like that, too. Each one has good qualities. I don’t want to shut them out of my life, but I do want to avoid being hurt. When I set boundaries and think before I react, my interactions with prickly pear people can be productive and peaceful.

Do you have any prickly pear people in your life? How do you deal with them?