Confronting The Chasm Within

Amid this period of isolation, we grieve for what was and stare down our palpable sense of emptiness.

Photo by Adam Bixby on Unsplash

So many of us right now are feeling it — a cruel, nagging, cold feeling that keeps descending into our awareness during this isolated period, alerting us that something tremendous is lost from our lives. As one of my friends put it, “I wasn’t going out and socializing or even dating before quarantine. But the idea, the illusion that it was always an option I had on hand — that was comforting. Now even the illusion has been stripped away.”

As difficult as our present set of circumstances are, as much as we’re all worried about money and security and our long-term outlook, we actually have a remarkable opportunity at present to go ahead and — are you ready for this? — lean into and let ourselves encounter that empty feeling.

Ordinarily there’s plenty to keep us occupied, to keep us from facing it. What was it for you? Workaholism? Shopping? Getaway plans? Cash in the bank? Grindr or hookup apps? (Forgive me, I don’t know what all the straight equivalent hookup apps are.) In short, it could…