Dealing

Today I read this and I think it’s profound.

“There are stories that are true, in which each individual's tale is unique and tragic, and the worst of the tragedy is that we have heard it before, and we cannot allow ourselves to feel it to deeply. We build a shell around it like an oyster dealing with a painful particle of grit, coating it with smooth pearl layers in order to cope. This is how we walk and talk and function, day in, day out, immune to others' pain and loss. If it were to touch us it would cripple us or make saints of us; but, for the most part, it does not touch us. We cannot allow it to.”

Neil Gaiman, American Gods (American Gods, #1)

There are days when I can open myself more than others, when I’m ready to bleed, contemplate, mourn, solve or fix whatever little bit I can.

There are others where I have to step back into my life and do my work, keep myself, my family afloat.

There are days of joy when I recharge, thank my friends and gods and without thinking, get ready to bleed again.

It’s the only way it can work and still allow for humanity. And while there is no right amount of bleeding to do to make you a good person (I believe it depends on us each, how strong we are, what we can truly bear) if we never bleed, we never feel, we just function for ourselves - we never truly live.

I’d appreciate your thoughts.