Navigating Time Spent
“...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference”
Since the world has slowly begun to open back up, I’ve had to come out of hiding. The pandemic caused most of us to reset our “routines” and adjust to new ways of living. And everything happened so fast, that I don’t even think we recognize the effect of all the change we’re going through.
Going through these extreme highs and lows has put us all in a state of survival - a full ‘fight or flight’ mindset. I worry that once the dust settles, the rush of all we’ve survived will hit hard. I’m coming out of hiding as a way to get ahead of it; one way or the other we’ll get through this and come out stronger on the other side.
I’m fast approaching thirty - which is super exciting, and the older you get, the more you realize that we truly don’t have control over much. Even some of the things we think we can control are unstable and fleeting. Existential crises arrive without notice, and our minds are prone to wander into dark places - where it’s easy to stay.
What is not easy - is hope? In these times, hope is simple but it is NOT easy.
I like to think of myself as a person of faith, so I relentlessly believe that things always work out. That God/Source is in me and I will not fail.
However, I don’t believe that adversity always has purpose. I see too much suffering in the world to believe that there is always “purpose” to it. Most of the suffering is just that - suffering! And you can get “stronger”, kinder and more empathetic by it, but you do not need it to BE strong.
So, it’s okay if you’re struggling to find a reason to be okay with all that’s going on. That is a perfectly normal reaction. I just hope you have days where you're reminded that “there is a crack in everything, and that’s how the light gets in.”
Have hope. Be kind to yourself. Go as slowly as you need to.
It’s popular now to stay in and share states of despair, so I hope you’ll take the road less traveled.
Photographs taken by Babas Photos. Outfit Details: Dress - made by yours truly | Slippers - Forever21 (similar here) | Bucket Bag - JustFab (s/o)