My wife recently took on the project of refinishing some wrought-iron stuff around our house. She used wire brushes, paint brushes, and — in the case of some lawn furniture we inherited from my grandparents — spray paint. Lots of spray paint.
Somehow she ended up with black feet. As a result, I shirked my nightly duty as her personal foot masseur. But there was an even worse consequence. Evidently the prolonged action of spray-painting put undue pressure on her index finger, producing carpal tunnel syndrome or something like it.
This wasn’t her first experience with the ailment. I don’t think it’s been clinically established, but the demands of her job might even make her prone to it. As a professional costume draper she works constantly with her hands, not only creating patterns but also fitting actors and, if the need arises, cutting and stitching fabric herself. She also draws beautifully, cooks delicious meals, and… well, I could go on and on. She is in possession of very active and highly creative hands.
Or luminous hands, in the terminology of this blog. I don’t wish carpal tunnel syndrome on anyone, but it’s especially painful to see it dim such magnificence. The black wrist-brace resurfaces from its bedstand drawer and cloaks a thing of beauty. A day or two of mourning-in-miniature passes. Then the veil lifts and life returns.
Someone once told me that we love others for who they are and, equally importantly, for the things they do. That’s as good a formula as any. The first part is static, written in the starry firmament, while the second suggests a state of perpetual renewal. Over and over again this aspect of love ignites and turns to coal, not because we fall in and out of it, but because we willingly accompany each other through shadow and fire. Our greatest pain and our greatest joys are discovered there, in the changing light that we shed for each other.