31/05/2021
So many of my conversations these days start with someone saying “this thing was really hard but I know there are so many people out there who have it way worse than me so I really should be grateful.” Some version of that statement is uttered multiple times a day to me. Maybe you’ve heard it too? Maybe you’ve said it?
There is room for you and there is room for others. I see so many people bypassing their emotions, feelings, and experiences, and it concerns me. What I’d like to offer is that there is room for you to see others and there is room to see yourself. There is room to pay attention to things that you may have been blind to before (hard, troubling, and different things that others may deal with that you do not). And, there is room for you to drop into your own sadness, grief, loss, confusion, frustration, uncertainty, and so forth.
To feel our own emotions does not mean we lose awareness of others. To experience our own sadness does not mean we become blind to someone else. To sit with our own loss does not mean we are turning our backs on others.
We can be with ourselves and we can be with others. We can take breaks when we need to. We can choose an organization to support while also giving ourselves a good cry. We can choose to educate ourselves, listen to someone else’s story, assist in whatever way we can, and also hold compassion for ourselves. Can you create room without inviting in shame, blame, criticism, or harshness?