Everyone knows the saying “Don’t Know What you Got ‘Til It’s Gone.”
But here’s a new one, something that’s equally universal but with a positive spin.
Don’t Know What You Need ‘Til it’s Here.
Often times we go dark and get heavy without realizing it, as if when we sat down, someone or something put weights on our back and we didn’t realize it. So we go about our days as usual but walk a little slower, approach things with a little less motivation.
And, sadly, we usually blame ourselves for the slow-down, like something inside of us is broken.
But so many times, it’s not us. It’s something out there that disappeared silently so we didn’t have time to mourn it. Or maybe we watched the leaving but underestimated how much it would hurt.
And hurt comes through in lots of ways. It’s not always recognizable.
Tired angry lonely sad busy apathetic careless selfish selfless hopeless
So we clean our house and work our jobs and sleep in our beds and fail to realize that something is missing….
Until it shows up (again).
And all that weight is gone. We’re lighter. We have more energy. Our muscles work better. Our hearts beat more easily. We become more of who we’re meant to be, more of who we always were.
We’re taught so much that we can always manufacture light, even in the darkest hour. And we should try to make that happen. But sometimes the outside affects the inside and, try as we may, we can’t make the sun rise.
So go on. Go on if that’s all you can do. Try your best to lift the darkness, but if you can’t just hold onto the idea that something on the outside might be missing.
Because things can get better and the darkness can lift, even without your effort, just because the world spins.
And, by all means, no matter what your dance, make sure you celebrate when the light returns.