"Free"

A client of mine was driving along a country road pondering her recent family crisis and counseling process. She noticed on the left side of the road that there was a dresser sitting on the ground with a sign that said “FREE” next to it. The next day she drove by the same spot again and was shocked to see that the dresser was still there but the “Free” sign was gone. She roared in laughter all the way home.

I wondered who else “got it” but it really didn’t matter. It was for Catherine. Her paradoxical sense of humor had created her experience. She referred back to this experience several times during her counseling. To her it meant that you can mistake the symbol for the reality. She had seen that her marriage problems were like the stolen sign, but that the dresser was still there.

Carroll J. Wright, Ph.D.