Life is fragile
How do you continue functioning on a day like today?
How do keep studying for your matriculation exam when thoughts of terrified people keep flashing in your mind?
How do you even move, let alone do the dishes?
- You just do.
Our society does not allow for the proper amount of time for mourning.
This I know to be true.
Openly grieving is not respected the way it should be.
And yet we hold our head high, gather our courage, and try to face and fumble through the day as best we can.
Moving through the pain, as opposed to feeling into the pain…
Are we fleeing something we cannot escape?
Or are we just postponing grief, so that it may pop up randomly in the future?
- Maybe when we are reaching for a can at the grocery store?
Shhh.
Sit.
Be still.
Reach out.
We are not alone in this life.
Though times like these can feel isolating, collective tears can dampen the earth for new growth.
A single tear shed, can bring about and prepare the ground for the future.
Shhh.
Sit.
Be still.
About the Moderator
Jim Nolan is in his 6th year as president of Southwestern College. He has worked for a dozen universities or colleges, both online and on the ground. He holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, and attended graduate school in English/Irish Literature. He reads a lot of books, takes a lot of photos, plays guitar, got married in India in 2010, and has a wire haired fox terrier named Barney. He is the opposite of a guru, whatever that is called.
