Thursday, July 25, 2013

Driven by Nothing

Floaty.

That's how I feel inside.  Floaty.  It's not a word I've ever used before and I can't say I know what it means (literally or to anyone else) but that's how I'd describe what's going on inside me.

When asked by my therapist, "Tell me, how do you feel?" that's the word that comes to mind.

When pressed I'd say that I feel the shell of me, the structure of my exterior — but inside? Inside it's as if the core of me has dissolved into an inner atmosphere.  My feeling self feels disintegrated — and I feel nothing. Not good, not bad — and not anything I can hang my hat on.

I can't say I've ever felt this way before.  

Without any feeling, I don't know where I am. And if I don't know where I am, I certainly don't know where I should be going.

Part of me wishes I had the drive I had before, but more of me is relieved to be at rest.  

This time of my life may be the first time in my life I can honestly say I feel calm.  The word "calm" does not come to mind when I think back on my life — certainly not my childhood or adolescence; not when I started jobs throughout my career; when I dated, had relationships, or got married; not whenever I've moved or tried something new; and certainly not when I gave birth and became a parent.  Calm was not part of the last decade, when I dealt with the illnesses and passing of my father, cousin, sister, mother, and six months ago, my sister-in-law.

Floaty.  Empty.  Hollow.  

But at night when my head hits the pillow, the lights are out, the computer and TV off, my brain suddenly leaps into overdrive, churning about all the conversations I haven't had, wish I'd had, shouldn't have had.  Over and over and over the words, the sentences, the feelings, the emotions play out inside the dark room, the silent night, my jumbled mind.  No longer distracted by the day, or the things I have to do — the shopping, meals, editing, emails, phone calls — my mind is just frantic.  Worrying, worrying, worrying about all I didn't do that day.  It's hard turning that racing, racing, racing brain off.  

Two of my dear friends — from very different parts of my life, living in very different places (neither near me), and very different from each other in every way — BOTH gave me similarly supportive (and surprising) feedback: right now a lot is going on for me emotionally; most of my adult life I have been driving on all cylinders  and often in serial crisis mode — I have a right to be in this place of nothingness; I need to be patient with myself and not expect to race forth into the next phase of my life.  For now, it's okay to just BE.
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Thank you Aaron and Barbara, and thanks to all of you who are supporting me directly through your friendship and indirectly through your readership.  I am grateful for all.


12 comments:

  1. a wonderful piece... it is a shared state at our age. floating describes it well...I too worry, where is the ambition, the drive, the necessity? Its natural m., just age with it.

    The lingering worry, worry, worry is fear and habit.. accept it, then just gently let it float. s

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  2. Thank you for that reassuring comment and for reminding me that old habits die hard...

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  3. Do what you can and let go of the rest. Take care my friend. T

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    1. Therese, thanks for that wisdom! I miss you my friend...

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  4. “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
    ― Rumi

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    1. I didn't remember I had wings but perhaps I will now..thank you

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  5. “Oh soul,
    you worry too much.
    You have seen your own strength.
    You have seen your own beauty.
    You have seen your golden wings.
    Of anything less,
    why do you worry?
    You are in truth
    the soul, of the soul, of the soul.”
    ― Rumi

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    1. And my soul is lighter than air...thank you for sending me this

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  6. “If there is no solution to the problem then don't waste time worrying about it.
    If there is a solution to the problem then don't waste time worrying about it.”
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

    You really are where you are meant to be -- enjoy the gentleness of this transitional time in your life.
    You are a great gift & treasure to all of us. Think about that -- how many people in life can we truly say that about?

    Your next phase in life will unfold & present itself to you... but it will do so "in its own time".... XO

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    1. That my "next phase in life will unfold & present itself" to me...is what I am counting on! Thank you for the Dalai Lama's spiritual guidance which makes exquisite sense...why is it so hard to let go?

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  7. Your Cloud photo fits perfectly with your Floaty image--and I love all these comments on your post. Maybe when the night comes, you can lie in bed and meditate on BEING a cloud, floating over the face of the moon, knowing that its reflected light continues to illumine life, just as your reflections are illuminating our lives! And that is enough to go to sleep on!

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    1. What a lovely, lovely piece of advice. I took that photo from the window of an airplane and I DO meditate floating on clouds whenever I'm at the dentist and fighting the impulse to grit my teeth and jump out of the chair SO I will take that sentiment and imagine I AM the cloud when it's 3 am and I can't sleep..thank you so much for such a gift...

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