We’re doing something a little different in our blog this month. Rather than our usual essays about aspects of caregiving, we’re pleased to share the first in a monthly series by our own Cindy Gum. The Rest of the Story is her look at the classic nursery rhymes many of us grew up with, and what we can learn from them as adults. We hope you’ll learn from, and enjoy, these mixes of whimsy and reflection as much as we did.
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Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
This timeless rhyme invites us to look in the mirror and confront the fractures in our world and within ourselves. Humpty Dumpty’s fall is not merely a tale of brokenness but a reflection of what happens when balance is lost, when we sit precariously on the edge of disconnection, division, or uncertainty.
What might the world see if it dared to look at itself in the mirror right now? Would it see the cracks in the wall, the places where things have broken apart, or the potential for those very cracks to lead to a deeper understanding of how to rebuild? The rhyme doesn’t shy away from the truth: not everything can be put back exactly as it was. But it doesn’t end the story there—it leaves the question open: How might we come together to build something new?
Humpty Dumpty is a mirror of our shared vulnerability, a reminder that facing the truth takes courage. Yet, it also holds a quiet promise: even in the face of brokenness, there is always the possibility of re-connection, of rebuilding—not as individuals alone, but as a collective.
This rhyme reflects back to us that healing and repair begin not with denying the fall, but by daring to acknowledge it and choosing to rebuild together. In that choice, there is strength.
The rest of the story:
But Humpty knew, as he looked inside,
The strength to heal was his to find.
Piece by piece, with heart and care,
He rose again, with strength to share.