Thursday, July 31, 2008

White Space Wednesday

A line from a song I knew as a kid runs through my mind every couple of years or so. It goes like this:

"The world didn't stop for my broken heart."

I think there are times when we all experience something so profoundly sad that it seems insane to us to think that people all over the world are making breakfast, going to work, laughing at jokes, all while we suffer. I know in times of great stress or pain or fear I find I must remind myself, the world will not stop for this.

Since becoming a mom, stress and struggle have taken on a much more chronic flavor. Life is stable, thank the heavens, and pitfalls are far and few between. The punctuation in life now come from build up, not blow ups like when I was younger.

moms

In writing here, and not writing here as often as I want... in laying down these challenges for myself that I later rebel against... I'm learning a lesson about how to carry on.

There is so much about the creative blogging community, and the Flickr communities, that is intensely supportive and it makes me marvel at times. What's more amazing is that it remains there, even when you go off and rest your mind a while. Where else in the world does that happen? Family? Sure, if you're lucky. Friends? Again, luck, timing, and some skill play rolls there. I have little bits of these in my real world, but it's this digital community that seems a special mix of constant evolution and infinite patience.

This community doesn't stop for my broken heart, or any other mundane problem, but it doesn't leave me behind either. And that, that is a gift. So thank you for my space and not forgetting me in the void.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Rachel, another beautiful post. Coincidentally, I wrote a post today with a slightly different take on some of this.

You're so right about the blogging, but moreso the Flickr community "being there". I agree. But, it's those woven into our physical lives that we need to include -- for one day some of those significant people will pass away. I don't mean to become maudlin, only to add an additional thread of thought for consideration.

I love what you say here though, because as someone who lives in a very remote rural area in the north I rely very heavily on the cyberworld and have found such support and encouragement particularly at Flickr as well as with my personal blog. Thank you for such a poignant and thoughtful post.

I love the image you've captured -- absolutely fits in perfectly with my post today as well as yours.

Warmly,
Diane