Theme: Empathy, respect

I didn't know it hurt so much

When Renato, my younger brother, and I were still kids, we really liked to play in the backyard of our house.

We lived in the countryside and our backyard was big, with lots of plants and some trees, which we liked to climb.
Once, my brother, who had climbed the jaboticaba’s tree, accidentally leaned his leg against a caterpillar.
The caterpillars are worms that cause a lot of pain in the skin of people who touch them, as if it were a burn.
My brother screamed so loud that my mother, who was inside the house, heard it and came running.
My mother found Renato desperate, screaming on the tree and trying to get him down; but, he didn´t understand what was happening, my brother ended up touching the caterpillar again.
Only when he came down my mother understood what happened. Renato cried and showed on his skin the red spots that hurt so much.
My mother took my brother to the bathroom and washed his legs with cold water. Then she made compresses with icy water on the burn sites.
But even with all that, Renato couldn't stop crying.
This started to annoy me until one point when I shouted:
- Enough of this crying, Renato! Mom has already taken care of you! Now keep quiet!
- Be patient, son - my mother said to me. - They say that accidents with caterpillar really hurt.
Renato stopped crying just to tell me, nervous:
- You have no idea how much it hurts, you selfish! Stop you from complaining!
And saying that, he began to cry again.
My brother was still suffering and crying for a long time, but little by little he calmed down.
When it finally happened, I said nothing, but thought: “What a scandal! It even looked like his leg had fallen off! If our street friends saw him crying like that, because of an insect, he would even be embarrassed!”
The days passed, Renato recovered, and no one spoke about the event anymore. Until one day, when I was at the top of the jaboticaba’s tree, I stretched my arm to reach a large jaboticaba on a higher branch and... I leaned my arm lightly on a caterpillar too.
At the time, it already hurt so much that it felt like my skin had been ripped. I got a huge fright and didn't even cry out. It was more like a scream, really!
I immediately remembered what had happened to my brother and jumped out of the tree, running in desperation to my mother.
My mother took care of me, as she had taken care of him.
And just like him, I couldn't stop crying and even screaming.
My brother came running to see what had happened. When I saw him, I could only say:
- Renato, I didn't know it hurt so much! You didn´t even cry!
- Oh yes! And look, I got burned in more places than you. I know how it hurts! I won't complain about you crying, no. I can only tell you to hold on tight, because it will pass by. It takes a while, but then the pain decreases until it heals. Courage, man! You are strong and you will be fine.
I was grateful to my brother for having patience with me, even though I didn't have it with him.
It was later that I understood that his experience helped him to understand mine as well.
This is how God brings good out of evil. Nobody likes to suffer. But when we suffer some kind of difficult situation, whatever it may be, we are better able to understand others. And we have more conditions to help them too.
I still remember that terrible pain and how much I screamed because of it. The pain passed, but it taught me to respect the pain of others, and that's what I carry with me to this day.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com